So What Now
by snowgoose
Summary: What happens after Rose returned from Russia. Rose is just beginning to cope with life without Dimitri when she learns that the night in the cabin had far reaching consequences and will change her life and her world forever. M in later chapters
1. Where to Begin

Revised and Reposted on April 16, 2011

This Story is dedicated to my Niece Theresa with whom I share a love of reading. She is the one who bit me and made me a Vampire Academy fan. When I told her about how I like to make up alternate story lines and plots to the books I read she encouraged me to write. Then she encouraged me to 'Post, damn it Post.' Most of this story was written without the benefit of a beta reader. After chapter 55 I found a wonderful beta reader Rangarose who has helped me edit my chapters.

I am reviewing and reposting the earliest chapters which are full of errors. I hope you enjoy my stories of which this was the first one. All my other stories are alternate timelines to this story.

I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

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**Chapter 1: Where to Begin**

**Rose POV**

I lay there on my bed lost in thought. Lissa had left my room for curfew about an hour ago. I had showed her the note and Stake that Dimitri had sent to me. I told her that my promise to him was unfulfilled, and I would have to finish it before I could really be able to move forward in my life. I could not yet bring myself to tell her that Victor Dashkov could be the key to bringing Dimitri back to life as a Dhampir. I was not sure if she could handle it after ever thing she had just gone through with Avery. I thought about what she said to me when I told her that I should go out and find him.

"No Rose. If you go after him alone again, he'll kill you."

I knew she was right. I was still getting my strength back after the last time. Even if I did go after him would I be able to kill him if there was a chance to save him?

I felt my heart pound and my chest tighten so I could hardly breathe. So many emotions went through me I could barely name them. The strongest was longing. I longed for Dimitri; not the Strigoi I thought I killed, but for my love, the man I tried to release from life as a monster.

Then there was the guilt that I felt for longing for Dimitri. Adrian loved me, I knew he did. He proved it when he gave me the money to go on my quest to find Dimitri. I knew he loved me enough to help me try to break Victor Dashkov out of prison. I knew he loved me enough to help me save my first love. If I asked him, he would do anything for me. Could I be that cruel to him?

I also felt guilty because I knew that if I went through with the plan to save Dimitri; to use spirit to change him back into a Dhampir, I was going to ask Lissa to face the man she feared most in the whole world. Face him and free him from the life sentence he earned for abducting and torturing her just a few months ago.

I let myself go to her. It was after curfew and I had expected to find her in her room sleeping. Being him her dreams had to be better than being in my head. I was surprised not only because of where she was but who she was talking to. Guardian Janine Hathaway, my mother, was sitting with her in one of the lounges of the Moroi dorm she lived in. I could see my mother's face wore a look of worry and distress. I could feel that Lissa surprised to have my mother ask to talk to her in private.

"Vasilisa, Please tell me why Rose went to Russia. Why was she looking for Guardian Belikov's family? Was she also looking for Dimitri himself?"

Lissa was surprised by how much my mother already knew. (No doubt my father Abe Mazur filled her in on some of my exploits) I could feel her try to keep her thoughts and feelings from showing on her face.

"Guardian Hathaway,"

"Please, you can call me Janine."

"Janine, I don't think it is my place to tell you."

I could see my mother begin to put her no non-sense guardian face on, but before she could say anything Lissa spoke again.

"I do however think that Rose needs to tell you herself. There is so much she needs to share. She has been through So much this last year. I honestly think she needs you. She needs her mother."

My mother almost looked vulnerable when she said. "Do you think she will talk to me? She has resented me for so long. She thinks I love my job much more than her. I have never had the kind of relationship I wanted to have with her. I guess we are too much alike. I doubt that she will open up to me."

I could swear that what Lissa said next was directed to me as much as it was my mother. (But how did she know I was listening?)

"You and Rose are family. You both have to put your pre judgments and fears aside and talk. Open up to each other, as mother and daughter and as grown women."

My mother stopped for a moment to think but she looked doubtful. Lissa looked directly into her eyes.

"Go to Rose and talk to her."

(No way, she just used compulsion on Janine Hathaway!) Then I heard it. Lissa spoke directly to me though the bond_._

"_Rose talk to her. Be honest. Tell her everything, she is your mother and she loves you. If you act like an adult, she will treat you like one."_

(Does Lissa know I'm with her right now?)

"_Yes, I can feel you here. She's coming to see you. Be nice to her."_

Whoa that is too weird!

I jumped back to myself and my room. Our bond has always been one sided. How did this happen. When? Once back in my body I became aware of how I was feeling. Sick. I was so tired from all the stress. I've only been home for a day. I was still weak from being Strigoi Dimitri's blood whore. I had more work ahead of me if I was going to graduate, get back my position as Lissa's guardian and find a way to kill or save Dimitri. The worrying and the exhaustion did not mix well with the Chinese food we had for dinner. I did something that until recently, I have only had to do a handful of times before. I ran to the bathroom to get sick.

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**Pop Quiz**

1. What is going on with the bond?

2. How will the talk with Janine go?

3. Why is Rose getting sick?

Please review

Suzanna AKA SnowGoose


	2. the Truth Laid Out

**Reviewed and reposted April 16, 2011**

**Chapter 2: The Truth; Laid Out.**

**Rose POV**

When I stepped back into my dorm room, my mother was sitting at my computer desk. Her hands in her lap but not empty….. She held a framed picture and she was looking at it intently. I stepped closer to see which she was looking at. My heart stopped and my breath caught. It was not one of the few pictures I owned. In fact I had never seen it before. None the less it brought back a rush of memories.

It was taken of Dimitri and me during one of our training sessions by someone on the yearbook staff. On the surface it looked like any other training session. I was doing the millionth rep of sit-ups and Dimitri was holding down my knees. But if you looked closer, there was intensity in the look between us. You could see that there was a strong connection. The picture had been taken just weeks after the night of the dance. I could almost see the smoldering passion that lingered between us after Victor's lust charm had temporarily loosened our inhibitions and we had come within a hair's breath away from making love.

"Oh God!"

My stomach lurched with the added emotion. I pivoted and ran back to the bathroom, my mom just a step behind. I have never had my mother there to care for me when I was sick. Not that Dhampirs get sick often anyway. She held my hair and rubbed my back, and when I was done she walked me back to my room.

"I'll be right back." She said. I sat on my bed and leaned against the wall. She came back with a ginger ale and some crackers. "Here nibble on these. It will settle your stomach."

"Thank you mom."

She sat and waited for me to finish the crackers and ale. Then she picked the picture back up. She took a deep breath. She held her breath for a moment and closed her eyes. Her face looked pained. "Rose, how long; how long were you sleeping with him?" Her voice was almost a whisper when she began but it rose as she continued. "He was a Guardian, Lissa's guardian no less! Do you know how irresponsible that was?"

I could feel my anger rise. How dare she talk to me as if I was some irresponsible tramp? Dimitri and I had fought against our attraction for months. We did not really give in till just before the school was attacked. What did she know? I knew we were about to have a full on argument. If I was not careful with what I said I might push my mother away and ruin whatever progress we have made over the last few months. I really did not want to ruin things but I was so pissed off. This time I was the one to close my eyes and take a deep breath. I felt a flush of hot, cold, and hot run though my body. (Lissa has never been able to heal me remotely before….. again that was weird!)

When I opened my eyes I saw beyond my mother's anger. She was worried for me, more than just worried, she hurt for me. All the anger I felt for her intrusiveness dissipated.

"Mom, get comfortable, this might take a while. If I am going to tell you everything, I'll have to start with the day Lissa and me were brought back here to school."

I proceeded to tell my mom about Dimitri. How there was an attraction but also a mutual understanding of life. How alike he and I really were. I told her how we knew each other sometimes better than we knew ourselves. I even told her about the lust charm. I had to go into detail about the bond Lissa and I share and how Lissa's use of spirit can negatively affect me. Then I told her about the night in the cabin. When I reminisced about the plans that Dimitri made for when Lissa went to live at Court… mom actually cried with me. When I spoke of my time in Baia, she asked.

"Do you wish you were raised in a colony with a mom like his?"

I was caught off guard by her question. I never thought I would answer her the way I did.

"Mom, sometimes I have wished that, but you are my mother and I love you more then you could know. You are so great and I am proud to be Janine Hathaway's daughter."

She moved over to sit beside me on the bed. She looked in my eyes. I wondered what she saw in them.

"Please Rose, go on, I feel like you have more to tell me and it is worse than the rest."

I nodded and finished with getting captured by Dimitri. I confessed to letting him feed from me. I felt her tense up as I described the battle I fought to escape and my effort to kill him. I told her about Victor's brother Robert and how he claimed to have changed a Strigoi back into a Dhampir. Then I showed her the note and the Stake I found at my door after dinner.

Mom and I talked late into the night. I cried more than I ever have in my whole life. In the end I was glad I had opened up and been honest with her. She helped me make some very difficult decisions.

1. I would finish school and become Lissa's Guardian.

2. Victor Dashkov was much too dangerous to set free.

3. I would not go after Dimitri again.

4. If Dimitri did come after me I would have to kill him.

It surprised me but I was the one who made these decisions. My biggest desire in life was protecting Lissa. I wanted and needed to get over the past and move on with my life. If I was going to move on I had to try to forget Dimitri. My mom was a voice of reason but she did not try to influence me and she only made one demand. If I do ever have to go after Dimitri, I would contact her first so that she could join me. She did not want to risk having her only child going through that alone again.

We talked and cried together for most of the night. She shared stories of her life with me like I had with her. I learned about my father Abe and how they met. Through her memories I saw him in a different way than I had when I met him in Russia. I knew that they loved each other then, and still cared deeply for each other. Most of all I knew I was a product of love and not some warped sense of duty. It was nearly 3 pm when she left my room. But before she left she picked up the picture that she had brought with her earlier. She studied it once more.

"I asked Alberta if I could look though his things, I wanted to know why you would follow him. She said that this picture was on his night stand. Next to it was a box with a very expensive necklace in it."

Mom reached into her pocket and handed me a box. I did not open it. I knew it was the rose necklace Victor Dashkov had given me. It was the charm that had held the spell on Dimitri and me. I set it on my night stand.

"I know you loved each other. Sometimes love cannot be stopped. I know you both tried to hold back. From the sounds of it he did not act until he could do things right by you. I only wish things had gone the way both had wanted."

She put the picture frame down on my nightstand.

"Get some rest if you can, but don't be late for your appointment with Alberta."

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**Pop Quiz**

1. How do you think Lissa was able to heal Rose without touching her?

you think that Rose and Janine will grow closer after this?

was it significant to Janine that the picture and the necklace were on Dimitri's night stand?

Please review and tell me what you think.  
Suzanna AKA SnowGoose


	3. Starting Over

Reviewed and reposted April 16, 2011

I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

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**Chapter 3: Starting over**

**Rose POV**

I tried to sleep but kept tossing and turning. An angry growl from my stomach gave me a reason to get up. I snuck down to the pantry that was just off the lounge on the first floor of the dorm. The guard at the front desk looked up at me but did not give me a hard time. Being 18 did have some privileges around here. In the pantry I grabbed a bag of chips, and another bottle of Ginger ale. I nuked a Hot Pocket and took my midnight snack back to my room. I sat at my desk and ate my food as I read one of the reference books I had about Shadow kissed Anna and St Vladimir. It was nearly 6pm when I finished my food. I decided to go ahead and get ready for my day.

I took an extra-long shower and reflected on my conversation with my mom. I was amazed at how close I felt to her now. I guess that once we let down the barriers, we were finally able to have the relationship we both longed for.

As I walked to my room I could see that there was something on my door step. It was a Perfect red rose and an envelope. At first I thought it was another message from Dimitri. I opened it slowly and was relieved that it was not from him. It was however from Adrian.

**~~*~O~*~~**

Dear Rose

I admit that I was instantly attracted to you when I first saw you. This is no surprise to you I am sure. I am sure you believe I am that drawn to anything female. This is not totally true, although I do have a reputation for womanizing. I have taken advantage of the fact that I am wealthy and royal. I did not have to pursue women, they have always pursued me. I never took advantage of any innocent women. Those with whom I am ashamed to admit to sleeping with were the Moroi woman who tried to use me to climb up the social ladder.

You are different. My royal status and money had no meaning to you. Your shadow kissed aura intrigued me. I have never met anyone with an aura like yours. I have never met anyone like you before. The more time I spend with you I see how beautiful you are on the inside. In fact your inner beauty makes your outer beauty that much greater.

You do have your 'charm and wit' both of which I do truly enjoy, especially when you point them at Christian Ozera. But you are so ferociously faithful to your friends. You are so dedicated to protecting Lissa that I do believe you would give your life for hers. Above all I admire the passion with which you live your life.

Mostly I cannot put into words what I feel for you. I know that you still love Dimitri. I know that it will take a long time for you to grieve for him. I promise not to push you. I want to be there for you and take care of you the way you take care of everyone else. I want to be for you, what you are for me.

I am going to give you some space to think. Come seek me out and we will talk about it.

Friend or lover, I would be proud to be part of your life.

Adrian.

**~~*~O~*~~**

I read this letter several times.

It was 7:30 the dining hall would be serving breakfast about now and I wanted to meet up with Lissa. I had to ask about the strange new abilities she had. There had to be some kind of explanation. These were things that she could never do before, so why now? I ran though the quad and only slowed when I was close to the dining hall. I opened myself to Lissa's feelings so I could get a better idea of her location. She was happy today. I was back home and getting back in school. She was glad to have her best friend home and safe.

I spotted her in line with two trays in her hand. She handed me one when I came up to her.

"Good morning Liss."

"How was the talk with Janine?"

"Surprisingly good, I think that we will never be the same again." I bit my lip. "Lissa, about last night, did you feel me in your head last night? Could you feel me when I was talking to my mom?" A huge smile lit her face.

"Cool huh? It just started happening over the past few days. I am not sure how to work things but well when you are with me in my head I can hear your thoughts. Also I am starting to have a general hum on your feelings now too. When you were getting really mad I felt it. I wanted to calm you down and without even realizing that I was trying to, I felt myself calming you so you could think clearly."

"Did you get into my head?" Her smile faded a little.

"I did try but I can't. I hope you are not mad. I have wanted to be able to do that for a long time."

In truth I did not like the idea but I could see how happy the thought made her.

"If it happens, I'll take it as another shadow kissed anomaly."

I piled scrambled eggs, French toast and bacon on my plate. I added to that a chocolate doughnut and two milks. Lissa had just come from the feeders so she only had a yogurt.

"Wow you must be hungry, that is more than you usually eat."

I had a good appetite, Dhampirs usually did. When you work out as much as we do in training, well you burn a lot of calories. Thing is I had not been training for a few weeks. When you added this to the snack I had a few hours ago, this was a heck of a lot of food.

"Stress eating?"

I thought nothing more of it and dug in. The food was so good, I ate everything.

After breakfast Lissa ran off to meet up with Adrian and I went to meet up with Alberta. I found her walking my mom out of the office.

"There you are Rose, right on time."

Mom turned to me looking all official and guardian like.

"Rose I need to see you I after your done here. I have to go back to my Moroi but there are some things I need to discuss with you before I go."

"Yes ma'am."

I gave her a smile as I turned and followed Alberta into her office. She had my re-enrollment paperwork ready for me to sign. All my classes were to be the same as before I left.

"Alberta, what about the trials, I missed most of them?"

"I have spoken to the Alchemist and I was told that you killed five Strigoi while on your own and that you were part of a group that killed several more. We have taken these into consideration and have decided to pass you on your trials."

"Thank you so much!"

"I have also spoken to your teachers and your math teacher wants you to make up all the assignments you missed."

I gave an audible grown.

"Sorry Rose, it's the best I could do."

"I know, thank you."

"Rose I have something more to talk to you about. I want you to think it through and answer me honestly."

"OK."

"Rose your mother wants to transfer her post to become Lissa's second guardian. She wanted me to make sure you are ok with this before I turn in her paper work."

I sat back in my chair and thought for a minute. At first I felt like she did not trust me to do my job right but I thought back to last night. I realized that she was thinking of both me and Lissa. Dimitri was still alive and still Strigoi. Of all people he would know my weaknesses. He could potentially find me and kill both Lissa and I. Also they were asking my opinion, like a respected peer.

"There is no other guardian I could trust with Lissa's life more than Janine Hathaway. If she is willing to transfer I would work with her. I don't think that Queen Tatiana would allow ether of us to be Lissa's guardian though because she hates both of us."

"Leave that to us… Both your mother and I have connections; in the Guardian Council and few outside influences."

I left her office feeling like things were headed in the right direction. I would probably be Lissa's guardian after graduation. I now had a much better relationship with my mom. I still did not know if I could take Adrian seriously. He had proven to be a true friend and there was an attraction between us but I really didn't like all the drinking and smoking he did.

I did not get to spend too much time talking to mom before her flight. She gave me Abe's number and suggested that I invite him to my graduation. As we walked to the tarmac at the other end of campus, she explained that it would take a month for the transfer to happen. I saw her off and went to find Lissa.

I went into her head as I walked back to the main part of the upper campus.

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Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think.

Go ahead and press the review button. I dare you.


	4. Something Unexpected

**I hope you like my story. As you know Rachael Mead owns Vampire academy and its charactors. Those that are mine I share with you. **

**Thank you Theresa for biting me and making me one of you.**

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Chapter 4: Something Unexpected

Lissa and Adrian were in a classroom charming some silver rings with healing spirit. She held one in her hand and I could feel her call on the healing side of spirit. I could feel the beautiful emotions and music emanating from her as she sent spirit magic into the ring. She handed this ring to Adrian.

"See if this helps."

He took the ring and put it on his right ring finger. I could see through Lissa that the color of his aura seemed to stabilize somewhat. His face seemed to relax too.

"Thank you, Lissa."

Lissa smiled at him and picked up another ring.

"I hope it helps. It would be nice if it works better then the drinking you used to do."

"This sobering up thing is a bitch. I still can't believe it's been two weeks already. I only wish Avery had not influenced me to start back up the last time. Thank you for suggesting I ask Dr Olendzki for help."

(Huh? Adrian stopped drinking.)

"How is therapy going? I know it does help me a bit. Rose hated it when they made her go."

"I guess it helps. I think the journal that they are having me keep is helping more than the talking." (He's in Therapy??? When did this happen.)

"_Rose, you should go. He wanted to keep this private." _I should have left her but I was starting to feel irritable.

"_Liss if he wants me to give him a chance he can't hide shit from me."_

Lissa gave up on me but I could feel her irritation.

"Adrian, you should tell Rose. She is going to get mad if she thinks you are keeping something from her, and trust me she has a knack of learning a person's secrets."

"Lissa, I am afraid that if I tell her she will think I am just using it as a tactic to get her into bed. I want to do this for me as well as for her. I will be able to feel spirit better if I am sober. I want to be a better man. She is such a good woman. I want her to be proud to be with me. Even if she just wants to be my friend I want to worthy of a friend like her. Besides I only have one liver. How much abuse can I put it through?"

I felt the exhaustion from last night's emotional roller coaster, and the lack of sleep.

"_Liss, I need a nap. Wake me up for lunch, K. Oh and let him know that I listened in. I don't want to hide shit from him ether." _I went to my dorm and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Adrian's POV

I was sitting in my room after dinner. There was nothing on TV at this hour; I was trying to find the patience to put together a puzzle of some mountain scenery. I had to try to occupy myself with something now that I wasn't drinking. I was just about to give up on the puzzle and put in a movie when there was a soft knock at my door.

Rose stood at my door, she was so beautiful. I could see that she looked tired but there was something different about her since she came back. She wore the ring that Lissa had charmed for her. Perhaps it was because I was sober now and also free of the medication that Dr. Olesnki gave me to help with alcohol withdrawals'. She still had her shadows but they were somewhat lighter now. She had a swirl of color that radiated from her center. The swirl varied from pinky purple to a bluish purple. It was very faint but beautiful. I had never seen anything like it. It almost seemed separate from her but also part of her.

"You wanted me to come to you when I was ready to give you my decision."

I invited her in and she sat on one of the leather chairs. I took the seat across from her. I was so nervous. What if she said No? What if she said yes? I took a moment to steady my nerves as I nodded my head.

"I did. I take it that you have made one."

She looked down at her hands and began to fiddle with her chotki. "I have to tell you something that might make you change your mind about being with me."

"Rose, there is nothing that could change that."

She stood up and paced the room a bit. I watched her move. She was so lovely to watch. Was it possible that she was more beautiful since she came home from Russia? She seemed ever so slightly curvier. Her shape was almost softer than before. The way she moved was always so graceful, like a dancer.

After a moment she stopped and looked out the window. It was warm and I had left it open for some fresh air.

"Dimitri is still alive. I went there to kill him and I failed. I almost died in the attempt. Now he may be looking for me."

She took a deep breath

"Adrian, I haven't told Lissa about this but, I have heard that there is a way for spirit to change him back. I decided not to pursue it, to do so would be dangerous in so many ways. I don't even know if the only source I have would be honest with me. I decided it is best if I try to stay away from Dimitri and just concentrate on living. I want to try to move forward."

She turned and looked at me; there was vulnerability in her face.

"I am still really messed up. I do not know if I will be able to give you what you deserve from me. I also know how jealous I was when I thought you were going for Aviary. I think I want to try to see where things could go with us. That is if you still want me. "

It took only a moment for me to go to her and take her in my arms. I wanted so much to kiss her full on the lips. Instead I kissed her forehead. She looked up at me with a bit of surprise on her face.

"I won't kiss you till you are ready for me to."

We stood by the window holding each other for some time.

The silence of the room was broken by a low rumble.

"Agh, not again?"

She looked up at me and sheepishly asked for something to snack on.

"If you skipped dinner I am sure I can get something?"

"No, I did eat dinner, a lot of it even. I think the stress has been getting to me. I have a constant case of the munchies."

I looked in the bar fridge. I had to smile at its contents. Over the last few weeks things had changed.

"I have Apple, Cranberry, Orange, and grape juices, I also have some carrot, and celery sticks with ranch. In the pantry I have nuts, chips and pretzels."

She chewed her cheek as she thought.

"The cranberry juice and potato chips please" That's an odd combo but I handed it to her anyway.

As she ate we talked about the plans for her mother to be one of Lissa's guardians. I was surprised to hear Rose sound so positive about working with her mother. Awhile later, I looked over at the clock on the wall.

"Rose, look at the time. It is nearly curfew. I'll walk you to your dorm."

We walked side by side down to the first floor. Once outside she reached for my hand, we walked hand in hand all the way to her dorm door. Once there she said

"Goodnight" and reached up to kiss my cheek. Her lips were soft.

"Good night, sweet Rose". I bent down and whispered in her ear. "Get some sleep."

I came to her dreams that night.

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**At heart I think that Dimitri and Rose belong together. GIve Adrian a chance. He really is so much nicer than I originally thought he was. **

**Please let me know what you think. The green botton is calling you!!!**


	5. How Could Something like This Happen?

This Chapter is Kinda Long. Please bare with me Sometimes I get a bit long winded. I hope you like this. Adrian will be getting more prominant but for those Dimitri lovers don't worry I havent totally forgotten him. He will be back here and there. Of course you know he is always Watching.

The disclamer stands. I did not creat VA or its original Charactors but that which is mine I share with you.

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Chapter 5: How could something like this happen?

Lissa and I were on our way to dinner we had been studying in the library after school. I had been working hard for three weeks trying to catch up in my math class.

"Rose are you ok, I have never seen you get so emotional over Math before."

She looked at me with concern. This only made me feel worse and I began to cry again.

"Liss don't you get it, I have to ACE math or I won't get to be your guardian."

I knew it was a bit of an overreaction but I couldn't help it. I could both see and feel through the bond that she was trying not to laugh.

"Rose I think that if you get a B, it will be good enough."

My god I have been a mess since I got back from Russia. I have been an emotional wreck. It's affecting everything; I am eating all the time and it seems that I have developed a nervous stomach. Sometimes it feels like the only bright spot in my life is Adrian. I was about to say that I was not in the mood for dinner (even though I am starving) when Adrian walked up to us and wrapped his arms around me.

"Who ever made my girlfriend cry is going to pay."

Lissa coughed "Um, I think it was me. Me and the math book, that is."

There was a quick flash across his face. It was like he was adding something to a mental to do list. Then he smiled, I knew he was about to change the subject and I was grateful.

"I had the school chef prepare something special for tonight. So, who is hungry?"

I stopped myself from saying I was starving, again. I settled for letting him lead me in to the dining hall. He led us to a small room off to the side where VIP guests dined. Usually we ate with the other students but I guess tonight was special.

"You know when I become a promised Guardian I will have to stand along the wall guarding you guys while you enjoy dinner."

I don't know where that thought came from or why I let it out.

"It won't be like that when we live at court, at least not all the time."

I could sense that Lissa felt guilty over our Guardian / Guarded rolls. She knew that it had been the main reasons Dimitri and I tried not to allow ourselves to fall in love with each other.

I gave her a smile and said "thank God for the royal court."

During dinner Adrian announced that Queen Tatiana asked Lissa and him to come for a visit and he wanted me to come along.

"Oh no, she must have heard about us and if I get called to see her I am sure she is going to have my head on a platter for lunch!"

He held my hand and looked me in the eye. "I will be with you. I promise I won't let her harm you in any way."

I looked into his eyes and nodded "ok, I trust you." He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. This was the first time we kissed in person. Last night we shared our first kiss during our dream time.

It will be three weeks tomorrow since I agreed to date him; Adrian had come to visit me in dreams every night. We would sit on the porch swing of some large beautiful house that he said used to belong to his grandmother. Sometimes we would just sit and swing while we watched hummingbirds come feed on the flowers. Other times he would ask me questions about my relationship with Dimitri. Sometimes it was hard to answer the more intimate questions but I wanted to have an honest relationship with him. He also asked me questions about how I was feeling. I was thinking of going back to counseling with Deirdre but the idea of having her constantly answer my questions with more questions would just piss me off more. He answered all of my questions with a frankness that I admired.

That night when I met Adrian for our dream walk, He looked like he had something on his mind.

"Hi." I gave him a cheek kiss.

"Hello beautiful" he guided me to a pond down the path from the old house. "Rose, would you do something for me, it is an odd request but I want you to see a Doctor friend of mine when we are at court this weekend."

"Is he a psychiatrist? Do you think I should be on med's like they had Lissa take?"

"I really don't think you need that. My friend is an Ob/gyn. I have known her for a very long time and I trust her. I think she is the kind of Dr you need right now."

"What? Why would I need to see that kind of Dr.?"

We stopped at some benches along a pier. He motioned for me to sit and I did, thought part of me wanted to stomp off and leave his ass alone in his dream. He took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. I got lost in the intensity of his green eyes. His face was so full love and concern, that I knew he was being serious.

"Rose, please keep an open mind. I think you are carrying Dimitri's child. You are showing several classic signs of pregnancy."

"Like what? Have you forgotten that a Dhampir cannot make babies with another Dhampir?"

"I knew you were probably going to get pissed off but that's ok, the sooner I get you looked over by a doctor the sooner we can make sure your baby is ok."

"Adrian, you really are serious. You think I am preg…. that I am going to,"

I could not bring myself to say it. What if he was right? How could it have happened, it's supposed to be impossible? I am shadow kissed, so much about me was supposed to be impossible. I could tell that Adrian really believed it could be true furthermore he is concerned for the baby, Dimitri's baby. I thought of all the things I did after the night in the cabin. So many things a pregnant woman should not do: I drank so much vodka at Dimitri's Memorial that I could not see strait. I fought Strigoi, had been thrown against walls, kicked and punched in the stomach. I was Dimitri's blood whore. I tried to kill my baby's father.

"Oh God, I am going to be sick again."

I pulled myself out of the dream and ran to my waist paper basket. My cell phone began to ring but I ignored it. A few minutes later there was a gentle knock at my door. Lissa called out.

"Rose, it's me. Please let me in."

I walked to the door, opened it and turned away. I paid no attention to the guardian at the door with her.

"I am going to stay with her for the rest of the night. You can go back to your post now. Thank you." It took a few moments to register the compulsion she used on him to get him to bring her to me after curfew.

"Rose, what's wrong? I woke up feeling you. I have never felt you get like this, it's like you are ready to explode. It' was like I felt when I would cut myself."

I took a look at her and burst into tears. She held me till I calmed down a bit. I looked at the small stash of Ginger Ale and the box of Saltine crackers I had next to my desk. (I am so fucking blind). Lissa sat patiently next to me while I thought. "I don't know how to tell you this because I am still not sure how to tell myself. I bit my lip and fiddled with my chotki while I tried to make the words come out of my mouth. "I might be pregnant."

"What? You've only been dating Adrian for 3 weeks. How could you be pregnant? Have you even slept with him yet?"

I shook my head. "Lissa I have only made love once in my life. Remember when I took your rage after the Mana club initiation? I took your rage and went nuts, I couldn't let it go. Then Dimitri took me away so I wouldn't kill Jessie Zekloz. He helped me let go of the rage by letting his guard down and showing me how much he loved me, how worried he was about me. When we could not deny our feelings any more, we made love."

"Dimitri was a Dhampir, you're a Dhampir too, and there is no way you could have gotten pregnant from him." Lissa looked as confused as I felt.

"Liss, I am shadow kissed. When you saved my life I had internal injuries. What if you when you healed everything ells you also healed my ability to breed with a Dhampir?"

Lissa called Adrian to let him know that she was with me. Then she and I spent some time discussing the possibility. In all honesty, Adrian was right. Everything seemed to fit; my moodiness, the eating, getting sick every few days and feeling so tired all the time. After Lissa had drifted off to sleep I went to the mirror, I pulled my clothes off and examined my body. I was still slender but my curves seemed a bit curvier I could see lines in my shoulders from my bra straps. I was shocked by my breast, they were bigger. I would say almost a whole cup size. I saved my belly for last. I was still quite slim and muscular. There low on my belly was a small bump. It was barely there I would probably never have notice it even while showering. I was more afraid than I had ever been in my life but I was also happier than ever before. I changed into my pajamas and cried myself to sleep.

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Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think. (o)(o) -- Hipnotising Stare....... Press the green button. Press the green button.


	6. To Court we go

Thank you Theresa for telling me to "Post! DAMN IT POST!" I love you mija, you are a very cool niece.

I hope every one likes this chapter. Adrian in turning out a lot like My grandpa Charles who Loved and treated all of my granda's kids and grandkids as if they were his own. Those of you who like me who love Dimitri don't worry he is never too far, he is waiting and biding his time.

The same old Disclamer. Rachael Mead owns VA and its original charictors. That which is mine I share with you.

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Chapter 6: To court we go

Adrian called Lissa in the morning and told her he would meet us at the tarmac at 5pm. It would still be a bit sunny out but not too bright for a Moroi. He wanted to get me to his doctor as soon as possible. I had to admit that I was touched by his concern. I was a bit sluggish getting ready but we still made it in time. I had no breakfast because the doctor wanted to do a fasting blood test. We grabbed our bags and headed out. I was feeling very uncomfortable; the strap of my bra was digging in to my skin.

"Lissa, my bra is too tight. I'm already a fat cow?"

The whiney tone of my voice made her break into a fit of laughter. I started to laugh at myself too and it made me feel much better.

Adrian was already standing outside of the plane when we arrived. Lissa boarded immediately but Adrian and I held back a minute. I was dreading this; I knew he was going to tell me that he wanted to be just friends. I really liked him a lot in fact I could honestly say that I have been falling in love with him. I cared for him enough that I was going to try to be OK with it. He is a Royal Moroi, the Queen's grand nephew for Pete's sake. How could he even think of dating a lowly Dhampir who was pregnant with someone else's baby? As he took my bag he asked if he could still kiss me. I took his face in my hands.

"Do you still want to kiss me? Could you really still want me the same way? I am probably carrying the baby of another man." He set my bag down and lifted me up.

"I have loved you almost since the moment I met you. I love every part of you, even the part that still loves Dimitri. He was a good man. It is a shame that he is not here to be the good father that I know he would have wanted to be. I already love your child. I am here. I will care for you and the baby. He or she will be like my own."

With Tears in my eyes I kissed him passionately.

We sat close to Lissa on the plane. We needed to coordinate some schedules and cover stories for this weekend. Adrian wanted to keep Queen Tatiana from calling for me. Also we decided to tell only a few trusted people about my baby. If word got around that I was in the 'family way' it might jeopardize my place as Lissa's guardian

Before we landed Adrian made one other suggestion,

"Rose, I think that once it becomes obvious that you are expecting, we should let people assume I am the father. If Dimitri ever heard that he was the father, well I am afraid he would try taking you. I have heard that Strigoi are very possessive. What if he wanted to do what Christian Ozera's parents tried?"

A chill ran down my spine. I could almost see him taking me and the baby and wanting to change us both. It felt like a betrayal to Dimitri but I knew that Adrian was right. I touched my belly. The bump was so small it was unnoticeable unless you knew to look for it. Full realization hit me. I could really be pregnant; my baby's father was now a monster, and I was going to pretend that my new boyfriend was the real father.

"Adrian, when I first met you I would never have believed that you are really so wonderful. Your right, the world should believe that you are the father. I promise that I will never take your generosity for granted and if we don't work out. I won't ask for anything."

He gave me an incredulous look. "Rose, I was not there when this baby is made, but that's irrelevant. I am going to tell you right now. Your child is now my child too. He or she will be treated no different than any other child I hope you and I might have together. And I want us to be together as long as we live." He kissed the top of my head and held me.

I could feel that we were now over the wards I could feel that the pressure on my mental wall was fading. Any time I was not behind wards I had to keep a mental wall up so that I didn't get attacked by the ghosts. Alberta and I were working on my gaining some control of this by spending some time every day just outside the Academy gate.

Adrian's guardian Arthur was the first to exit the plane. He was older and somewhat grumpy looking but Adrian had an easy going relationship with him. Most of the time Adrian let him go do his own thing but when Adrian traveled so did his guardian. Usually the school would have sent a guardian with Lissa too but somehow Adrian and Lissa talked Alberta into just sending me. I think they wanted to keep any one from hearing anything about my 'condition.' If I really was carrying and I now believe that I am I will have to tell Guardian Petrov, not only has she taken Dimitri's roll as my mentor, she was also now interim Headmistress of 's Academy.

There were a few Royal guards there to greet as and to my surprise so was Mia. Mia ran up to us and hugged me. "I was so worried about you; Jill filled me in about where you went." Next she hugged Lissa "And you. I knew that Avery girl was trouble, I am just glad you are ok." Mia hugged Adrian last. "Now you are always trouble." She laughed and walked us to the visitors lodging.

Once there Adrian checked us in. I was surprised to find that Lissa had a suite to herself and I was sharing one with Adrian. Mia gave us a funny look. Then she giggled. "You and you, I never would have put that together."

Adrian wrapped his arm around my waist. "I wouldn't give up till she gave in." I gave him a reproachful look and in return he gave me a smoldering one. I put my hand on his face and smiled. He leaned down and tried to give me a quick kiss. I had gotten lost in the moment, Adrian and I had spent a lot of time hugging and even laying down looking at the sky of his dream house. The idea of really laying in his arms caused me a momentary lack of decorum. I moved my hand to the back of his head and entwined my fingers in his hair. I felt a heat that I had not felt in a long time.

"Ahem!" Mia said, "I would tell you to get a room but you guys just got one so maybe you should use it."

We pulled apart and looked at Liss and Mia. Lissa was giggling and Mia had a huge smile on her face. I felt my face blush and I knew I was probably redder than the blood red carpet.

"Maybe later, we have things to do first." Adrian's voice held a hint of huskiness; I could tell he had felt the same heat that I had. The man at the front desk handed Adrian a note.

"It's from my aunt. She wants to see me immediately."

My stomach knotted up. What was I going to do if she insisted in meeting with me to yell at me for really starting a relationship with Adrian? He asked for some paper and a pen, he scribbled out a quick reply and handed it back to the guy behind the desk.

"See you ladies later", with his arm wrapped around me again and led me to another part of the compound. We went through the spa to the rooms that are used for a variety of purposes. He knocked on the door to the last room. It was answered by a beautiful Moroi wearing a white lab coat.

"Cousin, Sasha. It is so good to see you. This is my Rose. Rose this is my good friend and cousin, Dr. Sasha Ivashkov Isham." Holy crap, they are really related. Is he nuts?

"She is really your family, but won't she tell the queen?"

Sasha was the one who answered me. "Don't worry Queenie Weenie and I have little to do with each other. Once I told grandmother she could disown me if she wanted but I would tolerate no more of her interference in my life, I have found happiness and she has found that she cannot manipulate me anymore."

"I think she is going to be getting a similar threat from me too." Adrian gave my waist a squeeze as he said this.

"Cousin I need you to sit out here for a while so I can examine your girlfriend." I followed her into the next room.

"There is a gown and plastic cup in the bathroom, I need a urine sample." I did as I was told; when I was finished I came out and sat on the exam table. A nurse came in for the sample and took it with her. It had been a while since I had a complete physical. She checked everything; height and weight, looking in ears, eyes, nose and throat. She asked me questions about my health history and what symptoms I was showing. I never had a well woman exam so she had to do a pap and a pelvic exam. To distract me from the discomfort of the exam she talked about Adrian.

"He used to help me find ways to keep grandmother out of my business. Oh how I hated it when she would try to set me up with some important snob or another. He may be 10 years younger than me but he was always very useful. He would play tricks on my suitors or do things to embarrass them. I remember one time he came running into the room when I was being introduced to some Romanian snob, "I feel sick" he yelled and before Grams could stop him he threw up all over the guy!" Sasha laughed at the memory.

I thought of the way he seemed to be protective of me and realized that this is a trait he has had for a long time. It made me feel close to him, I had suspected that the sober man I have been getting to know this past month is the real Adrian. The Drunk Ass who used to annoy the shit out of me was a mix of a public mask to keep out of the family politics and his way of covering and diluting the effects of spirit.

"All done with this" she said as she moved the exam lamp away from my girlie parts. She readjusted the table so that my legs could lie down instead of up in stirrups. She then took a warm blanket and placed it over my legs and low down on my belly.

Sasha's nurse left for a minute and re-entered with a paper and the results of my pregnancy test. She looked it over and then nodded her head. "Adrian was right. Congratulations you are pregnant." Without realizing I had done it, I placed my hand on my belly again. How strange to know that there was someone in there. Part of Dimitri had stayed with me. As long as my baby lived part of him would too. I smiled and then began to cry. She gestured to the nurse who left us alone. She sat close to me and brushed my hair with her hand. A few moments later she handed me a Kleenex.

"Rose, I know that Adrian is not the real father but I also know he would like to be here for the ultra sound."

"I am surprised; I didn't know he would tell you."

"Well, he called me a few days ago when he began to suspect that you were carrying. He said that the only possible father was a Dhampir. He said that you are not the kind of girl who would have been unfaithful to the man you loved. He has been telling me about the spirit wielding and how Lissa had brought you back to life. I was thinking that had to be the reason this was able to happen."

"Yeah that was my guess too. I want Adrian to be here for the ultra sound."

She opened the door and Adrian was already standing on the other side waiting.

I had to laugh. "You're a bit over confident aren't you?"

Sasha pointed to the seat next to me that she had just been sitting in. He held my hand as she put some jell on my belly and on the probe.

"Look at the monitor and listen."

The moment she put the probe on my belly I heard it, a fast swooshing sound. On the monitor there was a little blob in the center of a black oval. It wiggled and moved. Sasha pointed out the head and spine, arms and legs. It was so small.

"I wonder who it will look like." How much of Dimitri would the baby have?

I listened to the heartbeat and began to cry again. I was beginning to really love Adrian; it was different than the way I felt for Dimitri but just as strong. Part of me wished that Dimitri was sitting beside me, seeing his baby with me for the first time. Then part of me wished that this could have been Adrian's child. Adrian looked at me, His face beaming with love and joy.

"Our baby will be beautiful." He kissed me and I knew that he had been telling me the truth earlier. He loved this baby as if it was his.

Sasha cleaned jell off my belly with the sheet "I just need the fasting blood test and then I want you to take her to eat. Give her something sweet and then an hour later I need to take another sample of blood.

We walked out of her office holding hands. I don't know if I could ever have explained my feelings to anyone. I couldn't even understand them myself. I still felt the devastation and void that Dimitri left in my heart. Being with Adrian brought me a happiness that I never thought I would feel. I wanted to be with him, I needed to be with him. I looked into his face and knew that I could never lose him. Losing Dimitri had taken a part of me; losing Adrian would take everything from me. I would have to be very vigilant; I could never let anything happen to him.

"I hope you're hungry lil' Dhampir. That café serves up some awesome French toast."

My stomach gave a loud growl. Adrian chuckled as kissed the top of my head.

"I think that was your answer, let's eat." We hurried off to feed me and my baby.

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I thank all of you who Review and to those who have added me to your favorite stories or favorite Author Thank you! Every time I get a Email from Fan Fiction with an Alert of any kind, I get a happy fuzzy feeling.

let me know what you think....I dare you to click it, come on, you know you want to. I won't tell any one. Ckick it already. LOL

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	7. Room to Love Another

I had been planning on posting this on Friday but here it is. Thank you to every one who has Reviewed or added me to your Favorits list. I am so overjoyed every time I get an Email.  
Theresa I hope you and your friends are reading this cuz you are the reason I write. You are a cool niece and I love you Mija.

Here is the usual Disclamer. I do not own VA but That which is mine I share with you.

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Chapter 7: Room to love another

After we were all done with breakfast and the second blood test Adrian insisted we hit one of the shops. It was a woman's clothing store. He greeted the attendant and asked for a private room. She led us to a large fitting room with some comfy chairs and a pedestal was set in I front of a 3 paneled mirror. I groaned clothes shopping, really.

"Adrian I don't think I need any fancy dresses."

He shook his head and smiled. "Rose, you are going to need maternity clothes." He got a devilish grin on his face and said. "You are already growing out of your bra, and doing a nice job of it" I looked for something to throw at him, nothing.

"Out!"

He gave me a mock, hurt expression. "But I want to watch." Yeah I am sure he did.

Who knows what my face must have said because he chuckled and said to the attendant. "Lily, After you measure her call me so I can see what you come up with. We need clothing that will not look maternity, she needs to keep this under wraps as long as possible. We will be back for more suitable maternity clothing in her fifth month or so.

The she smiled as she took out her measuring tape. She asked me questions regarding my usual attire, preferred colors and fabrics. I had never been measured for clothes before I always bought off the rack. After she measured me she brought me a soft cotton bra and some skin colored garments, shorts and a tank top.

"They are for your modesty, this way your 'husband' can be present while you try on the clothing."

"Oh, thank you." I bit my lip but didn't want to tell her that Adrian and I had only been dating for a few weeks. Once I was in the snug fitting undergarments she let Adrian back in.

I must have tried on at least 20 outfits. I was given a wide variety to try; stretch jeans, shorts and skirts. T-shirts and tank tops, workout clothing and nice outfits too. I was not showing yet and would not for another month or two, but he vetoed anything that would accentuate my belly too much

"You have to look virginal till after graduation" This time I did have something to throw at him. I hit him in the head with a blue hooded sweater. He laughed. "Take it easy little Dhampir" Then he addressed the attendant.

"Lilly, we will take these now and in a month we will need to get her graduation outfit together. We will be back for a more motherly look once she is ready to reveal our little secret."

We went back to our suite. After lunch he made a call to one of the shops. I was too tired to do more shopping but he said that new clothes deserve new shoes. In 10 minutes there was a man at the door with a cart full of boxes.

"Did you follow my list of requirements?"

"Yes sir, sandals, sneakers and dress shoes in a variety of colors, size 8. All the shoes are comfortable enough to be worn while standing for extended periods." He set out all the pairs a style at a time and let me choose the ones I liked best.

"That was the easiest shoe shopping I have ever done, but I am exhausted. Please tell me we are done with shopping today." He bent down to kiss me and as he did he picked me up in his arms. He carried me to the bedroom.

"It's nap time for you Lil' Dhampir." He laid me on the bed then lay down beside me. This was the first time that we ever had laid down together in the real world. In our dream walking we lay down and looked up at the sky together. I was a little nervous but he just spooned up behind me. "Sleep Rose I'll be there with you."

I woke up feeling content and refreshed. I did not want to move. Adrian was beside me. His hand was gently rubbing my belly. I placed my hand over his and laced my fingers with his. He kissed my neck; I was taken off guard by the sensation. He must have notice because he kissed more passionately. Oh god that felt good.

"You had better stop or we are going to get in trouble." My voice was breathy and when he replied his was husky.

"Your already in trouble, we might as well have fun" I did not know what to say. Part of me wanted to keep going but I wasn't sure that I was really ready to give myself to Adrian. I didn't know how to tell him but he must have seen it in my aura. Adrian sat up and looked me in the eye. Rose, when you are ready we will make love. I can wait. He kissed me again but this time it was more tender and sweet.

Before dinner I made a few phone calls. I called my mom. She didn't answer so I left a voicemail. "Mom, I really need to talk to you. I have some very important news to tell you. I really feel like I need you mom. There is so much going on right now. I will be glad when you come back next week. I am at court with Lissa and Adrian. Please call me soon.

Mom and I have been trying to keep in touch by phone every few days or so. She was not happy with my decision to date Adrian but after a few calls she conceded that he was not as bad as his reputation had led her to believe. I reminded her that Abe was like that too, He was a good man with a reputation that lead to the name Zmey. (It was Russian for a very bad kind of snake)

Next I called Guardian Petrov.

"Hello Rose, how are things going?" As usual she sounded kind but professional.

Um, good but Alberta, I really need to tell you something. It has to do with the relationship I had with Dimitri."

"What is it dear?" Her voice softened. She was close friends with Dimitri and had figured out the relationship between us.

"That night when the Mana club incident happened and you told Dimitri to take me away, well in the process of calming me down we got a little too close."

"I know he told me, he had to when I asked why he wanted to transfer from Lissa to court."

"Alberta, I am pregnant and he is the only one who could be responsible." She was quiet for a few moments then she sighed.

"I have read his journals, he wrote a lot about what he called your 'Shadow Kissed anomalies.' Could this be another one?" Wow she is taking this well. "Rose to be honest I was beginning to wonder. One of your teachers has mentioned your sensitive stomach lately. Don't worry, he thought you were just trying to piss him off and get out of class early. After that I started to pay a lot of attention. I was about to have you see Dr Olendzki next week."

"Adrian beat you to it, it is one of the reasons he brought me with him and Lissa this weekend."

"I have to admit that he has surprised me greatly. What will he do now that you know?"

"We are going to let everyone think that it is his. He doesn't want Dimitri to get the chance to think it could be his."

"Rose, about Dimitri, You received a letter today. I recognized the writing." My stomach knotted up. I held back, I could not get sick yet.

"Did you read it?"

"Yes, I am sorry." I swallowed hard.

"What did he say?" I could hear her moving some paper.

"Dear Rosa,

I am counting the days till you are no longer protected by the wards. I have so much to teach you about combat with a true vampire. I look forward to holding you in my arms one last time as I drain the life out of you. I only wish it could have been your choice to be awakened. Till then you are always on my mind.

Dimitri."

I handed the phone to Adrian as I ran to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me before he could follow me. I could hear him talking to Alberta.

When I came out he handed me the crackers and ginger ale. He held me for a while and let me cry. We didn't talk but there was really no need. This was not the first letter Dimitri had sent. They came at random; every few weeks or so. Adrian sent some healing spirit into me. It helped and I soon felt better. I tilted my head up and he kissed me softly. It was gentle and loving and long.

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We were to meet with Cousin Sasha, her husband Andrew and Lissa and Mia. I had decided that I wanted to let Mia in on my secret. She used to be my mortal enemy but after what happened in Spokane I felt friendship for and from her. I knew that I could trust her with my life and my secrets so I had asked Lissa to explain my situation to her before dinner. We ate at a very nice restaurant. I was so surprised when I met Andrew. He was a Dhampir. It turned out that he was the reason Queen Tatiana rarely spoke to her granddaughter. They had been married for six years and had four children, twin girls and two boys. Apparently Uncle Adrian adored them and was a favorite in their home. Andrew was a guardian here at court. He was shy and did not speak much but he had a very kind face and gentle manner. Yet I could still see in his body and body language that he was a damn good guardian.

"You know you might as well face medusa while you are here. The sooner you stand up to her the sooner you get her off your back."

"Andrew is right cousin, if she doesn't see you this visit she may try to visit the school and get Rose alone." Sasha gave me a look of concern.

Adrian wanted to keep me out of range of the queen lest I get upset by her. I don't know if it was the hormones talking but I was feeling bold. I could see that Andrew and Sasha were right. If we did not assert ourselves Queen Tatiana could make life very difficult for us.

"They're right. Besides I don't want to go around hiding from her. If we want to be together then I want her to know that she needs to butt out and let us be."

He laughed and kissed my cheek. "That is why I love you, you're such a warrior." His voice was suggestive and Sasha heard it.

"Cousin, just keep the bedroom battles to a minimum, she is in no condition for that right now." I blushed brightly and punched Adrian in the arm.

"Ouch, Rose you heard the doctor. Now stop with the foreplay." This brought another round of laughter to the table.

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My phone rang just as we were getting to the suite.

"Hi Mom I am so glad you called back so soon."

"Rose, are you ok? Your message sounded so urgent."

"Um, yeah it kind of is mom. You know how I have been feeling so tired and irritable lately, and I have been getting sick a lot too, and I have been eating a lot."

"Yes" I have been worrying about your health a lot lately."

"Adrian made me see a doctor today."

"Are you ok? Is it something serious?" I took breath.

"Yes I am ok and yes it is serious. Mom I am pregnant. Dimitri is the father." She was silent for a minute.

"But how, he was a Dhampir and so are you?"

"We think it is a Shadow Kissed surprise."

"You're so young, God help us that we do things better by your baby than I did with you."

"Mom your atheist, did I just hear you pray."

"Honey, there are no atheist in a fox hole." I had to laugh at that.

"Mom, I am not alone. Adrian wants to be with me and raise the baby with me."

"Rose, the queen will never allow that. She is the one who got in the way when I was with Abe. She wanted him to marry one of her nieces. She made my life hell till I finally gave him up."

"I think Adrian has a plan. I trust him mom." The events of the day were making me tired, so was the gnawing worry I now had about facing the queen. "I have to get some sleep, we will talk again soon."

"Rose, can I talk to Adrian?"

"Um Ok but be nice."

"Adrian? Mom wants to talk to you." I handed the phone. He looked a little nervous but took it and walked into the living room.

I quickly showered and changed. I was in bed leafing through a pregnancy book Sasha had given me. I was intent on reading all the things that were happening with my body and with the baby. Adrian came in talking when I looked up I saw that he was he undressed right there in front of me. I had once seen him in a pair of swim trunks but he got completely naked. I was so distracted by his body that could not follow his conversation. He reached in a drawer and grabbed his pajama bottoms and headed for the bathroom.

I thought about his body. He was hot in a refined kind of way. Dimitri had been more muscular and a bit rugged. I realized that though I missed Dimitri so much even still, I found myself wanting to make love with Adrian. When I tried to date Mason a few months ago I had found that when making out with him I began to imagine it was Dimitri kissing me instead of Mason. When I kissed Adrian, it was Adrian that I was kissing. Today it was Adrian I pictured when Sasha was teasing about Bedroom Battles. I still loved Dimitri but I realized that my Heart loved Adrian just as much.

Adrian walked back into the room. His hair was damp but towel dried and he was dressed for bed. "Rose, so what do you think? You never gave me an answer?"

"Um ah, what did you ask? I was a bit distracted; I didn't hear what you said."

At first his face registered concern but as I felt my face grow hot he gave me a knowing smile. "Oh, well I am glad that I can be 'distracting' to you." He looked me over, I was in a T-shirt and sweat pants. Despite my attire, Adrian gave me a hungry look. "You have always been distracting to me." He got into bed and turned the light off. "Unfortunately, Sasha suggested no bedroom battles." He propped himself up on his arm and looked at me in the dim light.

"I do need to discuss something with you." He snuggled against me and we spooned again. "I think we should move you in with me. People need to believe that we have been intimate for some time."

"We've only been dating for a few weeks. Besides I am still in school, I doubt that they would allow it."

"First of all the school will allow it. When you shoved the phone at me earlier I talked with Guardian Petrov. She is just as worried about keeping Dimitri in the dark as I am. I was going to suggest it but she brought it up first. Second, Rose I know what gets said about young Dhampir girls who get "knocked up" without the benefit of a relationship. Mason was a Dhampir, so was Dimitri, even if anyone suspects your involvement with him. Who's left, Jessie and Ralf?" That did it. I got up and ran to get sick. Adrian followed me into the bathroom and held my hair for me

He insisted that I stay in bed as I ate the crackers and ginger ale.  
"Things are moving so fast. I love you and I want to be with you but I don't want the baby to be the reason that we do this."

"How about this; I love you, and I would welcome any excuse to be able to have you in my bed every night?" He knelt down beside me. "Well, what do you think, Rose Hathaway, will you live with me." The way he said it made me laugh.

"Yes Adrian Ivashkov I will live with you."

-------

I woke early, I could see the afternoon sun shining brightly though the edges of the window shade. Adrian was spooned up against my back, his arm wrapped around me. I noticed something ells, there was something warm and firm resting against my butt. I had heard about morning erections, is that what this was? I moved my body so that my bottom brushed up against it. It responded by getting a little firmer. I moved against it again, this time Adrian held me a little tighter.

"Lil' Dhampir, are you trying to start a battle with me. You heard the doctor. No battles till we get a Doctor's note giving us the ok"

"It must be the hormones." I lay there trying to go back to sleep but I kept thinking about last night and the beauty of his naked body.

I turned around to face him and gave him a kiss. It started out sweet but I could feel the heat build in me. The passion began to rise. He pulled away from the kiss and looked deeply into my eyes, in a smooth and seductive voice he said.

"Sleep my warrior."

Suddenly sleep sounded like a really good idea. Within moments I was in a beautiful bedroom with a huge bed. Adrian was sitting on the bed smiling at me.

"I like that outfit."

I looked down to see that I was in a cream colored silk baby doll. He must have compelled me back into sleep so we could dream walk.

"Rose, are you sure. I don't want to push you. If you aren't ready we can wait as long as you need."

I sat next to him, my hands on his thighs. "I love you, I want you. I want this with you."

He pulled me close and we kissed. His hands began to explore my body, which in turn responded to him. He was gentle and slow but there was a need in the way he caressed me. His mouth moved to my neck as kissed my neck, I felt his fangs graze the delicate flesh but he never bit me. I explored his back and his arms with my hands. I could feel his hands pull up the fabric of my nightie. He caressed the skin of my stomach and breasts with a feather light touch then He pulled the top off all together. The rest of our clothing was soon on the floor. He held me tenderly. His skin was so silky against mine. He was slow and gentle. We made love for the first time in a dream, it was perfect.

-------

We met Sasha for breakfast. Adrian had felt that it would look better if we didn't meet at the office. She handed Adrian a small gift bag, but her instructions she said to both of us.

"These are prenatal vitamins, one a day every morning with breakfast. I got your blood work back and everything seems normal and healthy. The baby appears to be developing well but it is a little small for the stage of development; this could be due to lack of proper nourishment while you were held by the Stigoi. Even though things look good I am going to treat this like a high risk pregnancy mostly because we have never dealt with a Dhampir / Dhampir pregnancy before. I want to see her in a couple of weeks but I can make a visit to see my favorite little cousin." She reached out and pinched his cheek.

"Sasha, I wanted to ask, well is it ok for Rose to have sex in a dream?" I gave him incredulous look. "Rose I am looking out for you and the baby. I don't want to harm ether of you." Sasha interrupted us.

"That is a good question. I think that will be fine for now but we may have to reevaluate it in the future."

We had just finished with our meal when Adrian's phone rang. I had to stifle a laugh. The ring tone was the English song 'God Save the Queen' only it was played in a minor key which gave it a sinister sound.

"Hello Auntie. How are you this morning? ... Yes I got your note, didn't you get mine? … Yes we could come see you. We will be there shortly. "

He snapped his phone closed and sighed. With worry in his eyes he told me.

"Aunt Tatiana wants to see us right now." Sasha picked up her phone and called Andrew.

"Grams just called Adrian and Rose. Meet us there." She took my hand.

"You are family to me now. I won't let her ruin anything for you." Together we walked to the Queen's Complex.

On the way I went to Lissa through the bond. _"Liss, I need you. We are meeting with the Queen." _

"_On my way"_

I came back to myself. "Lissa is coming."

We all met in front of the building and entered together. The guardian at the front desk looked at the five of us and said to Adrian. "I was told to usher you and Miss Hathaway in as soon as you arrived."

"Let her Highness know that we are all here. She sees all of us or none. It is her choice."

A moment later we were all ushered into the sitting room. We all gave her a bow of respect but I was not sure what to do next. The last time I had been called to see her I had stood the whole time. Adrian took my arm and led me to a loveseat. My heart was pounding and I started to feel nauseous from the tension. I could feel the hot, cold, then hot again from both Lissa and Adrian. The nausea past but the nervousness stayed. Tatiana looked directly at me.

"You could not leave well enough alone, could you?"

Adrian was on his feet before she even finished her sentence. "Auntie, if anyone is to blame it would be me, I pursued her. Not the other way around. She is the best thing that could have ever happened to me." He began to rant a little and sound a bit crazy from spirit. I went to him and took his hand. He calmed when he looked into my face. I smiled up at him as he wrapped a protective arm around me. We went back to our seat.

"Grams, he has changed for the better since they have been together. I have seen it. He has grown up and begun to accept responsibility for his well being and hers."

Lissa chimed in. "Your highness, I have never seen ether of them as happy as they have been together.

"Are you all blind, don't you see that she is a money hungry tramp. I heard that she had already made him pay for her little Russian Vacation, and for a shopping spree yesterday."

This time I was the one who spoke up. My voice was calm but there was an edge of anger and pain in it.

"With all due respect, you are a hateful person. You over exaggerate and spin things to make them sound horrible. I did not take a Russian vacation. A teacher who was my mentor and very close friend had been taken and turned during the rescue that followed the attack on the school. My so called vacation was a trip to find him and kill him. I killed five Strigoi during my search for him. I was captured and held for over a week. I finally found a way to escape. I fought him and tried to kill him but I failed. I nearly died in the process. As for the shopping spree, if the man I love wants to do something nice for me that is between him and me. Farther more, I would love him even if he had no money."

She was momentarily made speechless by my boldness. When she found her voice it was ice cold.

"My dear if you want him penniless I can arrange that."

"I will be a guardian. If he is willing to live within my means then I will support him. If we need more money, I could ask my father."

Lissa spoke up. "The Dragomir Vaults are full, since Rose is my guardian 'and she will be my guardian even if I have to hire her without the council's appointment.' I will make sure they have everything that they need."

Andrew had been quiet all this time. "Your highness, you have already pushed your grand daughter to the point that she refuses to see you more than once a year. Your great grandchildren have only seen you in passing. Do you really want to lose another family member?" His voice was kind and a little bit sad. Tatiana for once sat quietly with her head down.

Adrian and I rose first. "Good bye Auntie, I hope that you can accept this but Rose and I are together. I love her and one day, I will have a family with her. I hope you can be a part of that." He kissed her cheek then we walked out of the room leaving her alone with her thoughts.

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Thank you for reading. Please review and tell me what you think.

() the hipnotic eyes are telling you to push the green button. Come on it wont bite. unless you want it to. LOL


	8. A New Home

I hope you like this chapter I wanted to post it yesterday but a reader gave me an idea to add that I really wanted to do.

As you know I do not own Vampire Academy but that which is mine I share with you

Theresa look for my fussy one, she is in here.

OH by the way if you have not yet figured it out, Any writing in _Italics _is Rose and Lissa Talking thought the bond

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Chapter 8: A new home

I slept most of the trip home. I was alone in my dreams Adrian was on the phone making some arraignments. Shortly before we landed I woke up went to sit with Lissa.

"I am so ready to get some normalcy in my life." Lissa laughed. "Tell me about it, I never knew how hard it was for you to have me in your head. Sometimes your emotions are so strong I can tell what you are 'doing' and I am so glad that I don't get dragged in to the point of experiencing it from your prospective."

"Liss did you… last night when…" she interrupted me.

"Yes and I thought you were not supposed to do that."

"Adrian found a loop hole. It was all just a dream, a wonderful perfect dream."

I looked out the window as we made our landing. Out in the distance I saw something small and gray fall from tree. It looked like it might have been a kitten, whatever it was it did not get up and run away.

"Liss did you see that?"

"No, what was it?" Just then her phone rang. It was Christian's ring tone. Her mood took a spike as she took the call.

I went to the door of the plane and waited impatiently for the Guardians to let us disembark. Animals don't like Dhampirs and I don't like cats in but the thought of a baby anything needing help, made me frantic. As soon as the hatch was opened I ran down the steps and toward the tree. It was still there, it was a very small kitten. It was lifeless but for the uneven shallow breaths I picked it up and began to cry. It was so cold and I could see that it was emaciated and injured. First Adrian then Lissa caught up to me. In my hands the kitten gave one last shudder then stopped breathing all together.

"It can't die. It's just a baby it never got to know what it's like to be loved."

Adrian tried to take it from my hands but I would not let it go. I stood there holding the tiny body, crying into its soft fur and wishing I could bring it back. Both Adrian and Lissa put a hand on my back and sent me healing spirit. I knew that they were trying to calm me, but instead of letting spirit help me I imagined channeling it along with the maternal love I felt into the tiny bundle of fur. I knew it would not work but what ells could I do. In my hands the little body grew warm. I felt its little heart begin to thump. At first the thump was faint and irregular at first but. In my mind I pictured it getting stronger and more regular. I willed its little lungs to work, a moment later it gave a gasp then another.

"It's breathing, keep giving me spirit." A few moments later the torn skin began to mend. The kitten opened its eyes and looked directly at me. I nestled it to my face. To my surprise the kitten started to purr. Adrian reached over to scratch between its ears.

"I think we have been adopted."

"Really, I can keep it?" He laughed as he kissed the top of my head.

"I'll agree to anything just to see you smile like this."

"I'm going to go meet up with Christian. He wants to talk with me." It was the first time in over a month that he wanted to talk to her. Avery had really messed things up between them when she was here.

"Good luck, Lissa. I will try to give you some privacy. But if you need me, just call."

Off she went with her bag in hand. Adrian had arranged for someone to get our things from the plane since I had come back with significantly more than I had left with. He asked his guardian to accompany us to the clinic.

"Arthur, could you come with us. We have to have the little orphan checked out by someone and I have no idea what cats need so the only one we can ask around here is Dr. Olendzki. If you would please do a run to the pet store for us once we know what we need, I would appreciate it."

Dr. Olendzki gave the kitten a cursory exam. "I am not a vet but I think that spirit has probably healed this little girl but she is emaciated, in fact she is so starved she has no flees. She looks old enough for food. Check if the kitchen has any canned chicken. Give her no more than a tablespoon every two hours for about a day. Once you get some kitten food follow the instructions on the bag."

She gave Arthur a list of things that a kitten would need.

Dr. Olendzki asked to speak with us privately so we stayed behind while Arthur left the room. We knew that Sasha had shared my medical information with her so we were not surprised that she would want to talk with us.

"Rose I am not happy about you taking in a cat. I know that you are stubborn and so I just want to give you one condition. Adrian, I am asking that you be the one in charge of "cleaning" up after the cat at least until the baby is born. If you can agree with that then I won't stop you from keeping her."

"So Rose, I need to know what name to mutter when I am doing dodo duty."

I had to laugh "Hmmm" I looked at her gray fur. It was a deep gray but the shade was unrecognizable through all the grime on her. She had white marking that lookied like white socks and mittins, and she also had a white belly and white stripe up her nose. Her Eyes were a crisp blue.

"Misty or Smokey can't decide yet."

"Before you take her home I insist on bathing her for you. Also I want you both to go clean up and get changed. You have wild cat grime all over you."

"Thank you Dr. Olendzki." The kitten kept mewing for me as I left the office.

------

Adrian held my hand as we walked. I was about to head to my dorm when Adrian said. "Rose, home is with me now."

"But my stuff is in my dorm."

"Alberta had it moved for you. I hope you don't mind. Also I called your mother while you were napping and told her how things went with my aunt. I also told her about you moving in with me. She didn't like that things are moving so fast but she agrees that there would be less speculation about the father's Identity if we live together."

When we reached the door to his apartment, He suddenly lifted me up and carried me though the threshold. He kissed me before setting me down gently on the floor.

"I am going to go see Alberta about something. Look around and get settled, I will be back in a few."

As promised all of my things were here. I was a bit embarrassed to realize that someone had to pack my things for me; the same person must have unpacked them here. Everything seemed to have been put in an order that I would have put them myself. My new clothing was also put away in the closet and drawers. I gathered a fresh change of clothing and headed for the shower.

After my shower I was relaxed and looking for a quick cat nap. I lay down on his bed. I guess it was now our bed. It was just as luxurious as the one at court. I looked over to see the time and there right next to my clock sat the photo and box from Dimitri's room. I do not know how long I lay there. I could not move. I just stared into Dimitri's loving face. Without realizing it I had taken the picture in my hands and began to talk to it.

--  
Adrian's POV

I walked back into the apartment and heard Rose talking softly in the bedroom. Her voice sounded so sad. I peeked in the room and she was lying on the bed holding a photo frame. "I hope you understand. I was attracted to him from the start but Dimitri I had always loved you more than I had loved anyone. "

My heart sank to the bottom of my chest. I knew that I should walk away and give her some privacy but my feet would not move.

"When you left I had no means to go after you, I did the only thing I could. I asked Adrian. It was selfish and wrong to use his feelings for me as a means to find you. He knew what I was doing but he gave me the money anyway. He asked me to promise that I would give him a chance."

That is what she was doing here with me, giving me a chance?

"When you held me captive, you used me in the worst way. He came to me in my dreams, even after I had been so mean to him. He saw what you did. He saw the marks but he has never said anything about it. Nor has he tried to use me ether. When I saw how he flirted with Avery I got jealous. I really wanted to rip her face off every time she batted her eyes at him."

Really, my heart began to beat again.

"When I got home I really wanted to get passed everything with you. You were dead. I wanted to live again. Then I got your package, and learned that you were definitely not dead. I felt that I would have to go after you again but I realized that to do so would be suicide. If I tried to save you and change you back then I would just end up hurting the people I love."

She gave a sigh.

"I asked Adrian to write me an essay telling me why I should give him a chance, did I tell you that? He didn't write an essay but the letter he wrote to me was perfect. It was not a bunch of flowery lies. He just told me the truth. I found out that he was trying to improve himself. He did it for me as well as for his own wellbeing."

She traced her hand along the picture.

"Dimitri I never thought it would be possible for me to love again. Adrian is so wonderful. Every day there is some new thing he does that makes me love him even more. Once I thought I could not live without you but now I do. I know now that if I had to I could survive alone but I know that as long as he wants me I want to be with Adrian. I love him. He is a good man. He will love our child and be a good father. For that I hope you will be grateful. Good bye Dimitri, my love."

She broke into sobs. I found my feet again and went to her side

------

Lissa's POV

I could feel Rose again. She was sorting through her feelings. I wanted to go to her but I could feel that this was something she had to do alone. I had way too much of my own shit to work through. I wanted to do well enough in school so that I could be Valedictorian. I know it is kind of silly but I wanted to make my parents proud. In a month will be three years since I lost them and my brother in a car crash. I lost Rose too but thanks to Spirit, I was able to bring her back to life.

This Spirit thing was so weird. I used to be so jealous that Rose could feel my emotions and could get into my head. I never knew what a bitch it is to have to deal with someone ell's emotional baggage on top of dealing with your own. I had to deal with her sex life now. Thank God that I don't get pulled into her head. No wonder she would be crabby on days after I had made love with Christian. I guess it must have made it worse that I could freely have the one I loved but she had to fight her love for Dimitri.

I guess the shoe is on the other foot now. Christian misses me and wants to be friends. But he is moving on and wants to date other people. Rose and Adrian are trying to flaunt their relationship. They need people to automatically think that Adrian is her baby's father.

She is going to have a baby; I don't know how I feel about it. Right now I am glad she is too preoccupied to pay any attention to my feelings. I guess I knew that eventually she would have one. Almost all female Dhampirs have at least one, even Guardians like Janine. I have even heard Alberta mention to someone that her son is on the Guardian Council at court. The thing is I never pictured her having a family. She already has one with Adrian. What kind of friend am I? I'm jealous that my best friend has more in her life then taking care of me.

Oh God! Are they making love again? Great and I'm supposed to meet them for dinner.

Rose's POV

I woke up early; Adrian was snuggled up against my back. I listened to his slow even breaths. My kitten, Misty Blue, was curled up against my stomach. She looked at me with expectant eyes. I knew she must be hungry. Adrian had gotten up during the night to make sure she got her tablespoon of chicken. I got up to feed the cat and start my day. She followed me to the kitchen. Arthur must have brought the cat stuff in the middle of our 'nights' sleep. In the kitchenette where I had left the plate I had been using for her can chicken was a new stainless steel bowl set. On the counter there was a bag of kitten food and a bag full of can food. On the counter was a note saying that her litter box would be in the bathroom in place of the box of dirt that Adrian had brought in. There was a tower with a scratching post in the living room. There was a post script saying "the mouse toy is from me. Arthur"

------

I loved my morning run. It was so peaceful at this time. The sun set was about half an hour way and it was going to be beautiful. I thought about how much I had hated all the running I had to do early on in my training with Dimitri. I thought about him for a bit. I wondered if I could handle the pain. I guess it is like when you have a tooth pulled, you poke at the empty hole that is left behind. It did still hurt but I found that many of my memories made me smile. Some even made me laugh. I pushed myself harder. He would have been proud of my time. Alberta was going to be my mentor but today she had some things to do so I was on my own. I headed to the gym to kick a few dummies. Just then a couple of real dummies walked up to me.

"Jessie, Ralf, what do you want."

"I was wondering if you would tell me how much it would cost for me to hire you as my live in Blood Whore. I know half the guys at school are dying to know."

"Jessie I am warning you, that is not funny. "

"Come on Rose, show us your bites. Your neck looks clean. But maybe they are down lower."

Ralf tried to pull my shirt up. I reacted before I could think. I punched Ralf right in his nose; I heard a satisfying crunch as his nose broke. Blood began to run down his face.

"Don't act so virtuous, not so long ago you and I were getting it on remember. I just want to walk down memory lane with you." Jess gave me a smirk and it looked like he was going to try to kiss me.

"Back off, Zeklos. Just take your side kick here to the med clinic and get the hell out of my way."  
Ralf was still sitting on the floor holding his nose. He didn't take my advice; instead he tried to give me his sexy grin.

"Come on Rose, I just want some attention too." He took a step closer. It was probably the most childish thing I could have done but I he was close enough and getting closer. I kneed him in the groin.

"Good job Miss Hathaway. I think I will take over from here. I heard most of the conversation and I will let Guardian Petrov know that you acted in self defense."

Guardian Alto picked up Jessie and Ralf by the arm and walked them off in the direction of the med clinic. I ran to the gym and beat the crap out of a few dummies.

------

Today I was the one who got to the one who got to the dining hall first. Through the bond I called out to Lissa,

"_Sorry about last night, I kinda had another emotional meltdown. Adrian was comforting me and well…." _

"_I know its ok. You were only 10 min late for dinner."_ I could feel that she was a little pissed but what was I supposed to do about it.

"_I am in line already Liss._ _Do you want me to get your food, or are you almost here." _

"_I'll be there in a moment. I am next in line with the feeders."_ I could tell she almost wanted to make me wait but I knew she wasn't that petty.

She met me just as I was about get my food. I handed her a tray and proceeded to fill mine up. This time I tried to choose better things I usually did. No doughnuts and damn was I going to miss those. I also took slightly more normal portion. Then I grabbed some fresh fruits and granola bars. She watched me with interest.

"Sasha's book says to eat healthy, that I should eat regular sized portions and have healthy snacks. The fruit and granola bars are for between classes. She simply nodded and reached for some toast and Orange Juice.

"So how did things go with Christian?" I felt her mood plummet even farther.

"We're 'Just Friends' now. He wants to date other people." I dropped my fork.

"What, the way he used to look at you, I thought that you guys were going places. Liss don't take this the wrong way but who is he supposed to date, he's not what you would call popular."

"People are changing their minds about him. The fact that he fought by your side and helped kill so many Stigoi has made people less afraid of him. He has an unofficial magic club. He teaches people how to use their magic defensively."

"I'm sorry that he feels that way. I have to think that the fact that people are starting to accept him is a good thing. It would make things easier for you guys if you got back together."

"Yeah I thought about that but when everything with Avery happened and I didn't tell him about kissing Aaron, I lost his trust."

"Give him time. The fact that you loved him when no one trusted him has to count for something."

--

With breakfast over we parted ways. My morning schedule was all Guardian stuff. Sasha had told me that I would have to modify my training till after the baby was born. Some of my classes like weight training were easy to adapt; we were in charge of the amount of weight and reps we did. By this point of the year we no longer had to report our progress. There was my Guardian Theory and Practice class but that was all bookwork. I had two classes that involved sparing with my classmates. These were the classes that I was worried about. My first class was mixed martial arts. In this class we really did fight. We would kick punch and toss each other around. Part of learning to fight Strigoi was learning to fight through pain and injury. We fought in pairs and groups. I was really afraid. How was I going to get out of practice every day without letting the cat out of the bag? We had told Alberta but the teachers and school Guardians were still in the dark.

It was while I was doing my stretches for class that Alberta approached me. "Rose, I was wondering if you could do something for me. There are a few people who are interested in learning self defense. I cannot take one of the teachers out of class to teach them especially since technically we are not supposed to teach Moroi to fight like Dhampirs. You are my best student. I am sure that you will be a worthy choice for their teacher. Would you be interested in doing this for me?"

Thank God! (Hmmm I think I am starting to believe in God) Could this is the out I needed?

"Yes Alberta, It would be an honor to teach them, when do we begin?"

"Now please. I would like your First and Third hour class times to be devoted to teaching them. You will have to share space with your other class mates so please be careful not to make your class a nuisance. Teach them as much as you can until the end of term. If you need help I believe Eddie would be a good choice."

This is the out I needed. Third hour was use of weapons. This class involved a lot of sparing too. We often used ordinary objects though we did try not to hurt each other as much in this class and we wore protective gear. But still I had been worried.

She introduced me to my 'class' I was not surprised when the first one was Adrian. He gave me a quick wink. The others surprised me; Father Andrew, Dr Olendzki, and a three of the Moroi teachers who had gone on our rescue mission after the attack on the school. Most of these people did not even know about my condition. They must have been here because they really wanted to know how to defend themselves. I really hoped that I was going to be a good teacher.

"Ok, let's begin with some stretches then 10 laps at a good even pace. When we are done with that, I will show you some basic stances."

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Thank You for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to let me know if you you have a suggestion. If it will fit into my story without changing its ultimate direction I might use it.

Thank you to every one who has reviewed or added me to your favorite lists.

The Green Button is calling to you though its bond with you **_"Press me, Click me, Pease!"_**


	9. Questions

Here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. My disclamer stands I don't own VA but that wich is mine I share with you.

Theresa Thank You for listenig and helping me with this.

Thank you to everyone who Reads this.

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Chapter 9: Questions

The week flew by. I was getting used to the new pattern of my life. So much had changed and yet so much remained the same. Learning to sleep next to another person was an easier adjustment than I had thought it would be. I had never liked cats and now I had a kitten who I totally loved. Lissa was just as much a part of my life as ever. She came to the apartment often. Sometimes it did bother her that she was still not dating anyone and I was romantically happy. (I was not yet successful at being able to block her from my emotions and unfortunately she was still painfully aware of the frequency of which Adrian and I made love.) I had school, my little class of Moroi, Lissa and Adrian. My mom was coming home today. I felt happy and complete.

On Friday I needed help from Eddie for mixed martial arts. After class we walked together to our next class, and we were discussing something I wanted to teach them next week. He kept giving me a funny look. I was beginning to wonder if he had figured out my little secret.

"Eddie what gives, why are you looking at me that way?"

"Sorry Rose, it's just that well I don't get it. You and Adrian, it just doesn't make sense."

"Why not?" I tried not to sound too defensive.

"Before you left you kinda seamed to dislike him, I know you probably were not over mason yet. You came back home and started dating him. Then a week ago you moved in with him. Rose you know Moroi never get serious with Dhampirs. I am a little worried that he might hurt you in the long run."

"Eddie, I know his reputation would beg to differ but honestly he is not like that."

"Rose the thing that makes no sense to me is that I believe you. Most Moroi men would have their way with you then move on. I watch out for you. Did you know that? I made a promise to Mason during his funeral." He bit his lip. "I have seen how he watches out for you. It is almost like he has appointed himself you're Guardian. In social settings the both of you always seem to be touching; sometimes it's holding hands or his arm around your waist. He is so careful with you even though you are already a badass Guardian, following in Guardian Belikov's example."

"Thank you; it's a compliment that you could put me in the same caliber as him. I am not there yet but I would hope he would be proud of me."

"I call em' like I see em'." We had gotten to class and he stopped at the door. "Rose, there is something ells; you should know that a lot of Moroi girls are upset about your relationship." I smiled at him. Eddie was a true friend.

"Thank you for telling me. Thing is I don't care what they say. I love Adrian and he loves me. That is what I care about."

"There is something ells I want to ask you. But I am afraid to ask you. Remember I said that I watch out for you. I have noticed some things that have me wondering if….. Are you…. Damn I don't know how to ask."

"Eddie, I know what you're asking. Is it that obvious?" I bit my lip while I waited for his answer.

"I pay a lot of attention, no one ells seems to have jumped to that conclusion yet."

"Look Eddie you're my friend and I trust you with my life. I need someone to talk to who isn't as invested in me."

"Invested?"

"Yeah, I mean I know you care about me but you are not in love with me, sometimes I need someone to talk to. There is so much going on that I can't tell to just anybody and the people who do know are too involved in my life."

"Oh I get it. Look you need someone to talk to I will be your ears and keep your secrets."

I felt so relieved. I was not sure what he was going to think of the whole Dimitri thing considering he thought I was so in love with Mason, but my instinct told me I could confide in him. We told our teacher that we had to work out our lesson plan for our next class with my Moroi students and he let us out of class just this once. In the library we found a quiet place to talk.

-- -- --

Mom's plane arrived before I got out of my classes. We were going to have dinner with her so I was surprised when she was waiting for me outside of my last class. We were in public so we greeted each other more like peers then mother and daughter.

"Good afternoon Guardian Hathaway"

"Hello Rose, I was wondering if we could talk privately."

She had that funny look on her face, she must have had something deep to talk about. I knew mom had trouble getting emotional with me. I simply nodded and fell into step beside her. She led us on a walk around the perimeter of the campus. She did not talk and I figured she was just collecting her thoughts. I was fully aware of where we were when she stopped right in front of a cabin.

"Mom, why did you stop here?"

"This cabin is the place where your life changed forever."

She opened the door and walked in. I did not want to, but I followed her in anyway. I had not been there since the night Dimitri made love to me. The bed was made, just as he had left it. I closed my eyes; a tear fell down my cheek followed by more. She led me to the bed were I sat bawling.

"Rose you still love Dimitri." It was a statement not a question but I answered her anyway.

"Oh yes mom, I always will. He was my life and when he was turned part of me died."

"Rose, how do you feel about Adrian?" I wiped my eyes, tears still fell but they were much fewer now than before.

"Mom he is so wonderful; he does so many things just to make sure I am safe and happy. He knows me so well." I had to laugh despite the tears.

"When I have had a bad day or he has to discuss something he knows might upset me, he butters me up with dinner in the VIP room just so that I can cry or blow off steam in private."

"Do you love him the way you love Dimitri?"

"No, it's different. What I had with Dimitri was beautiful but it never had a chance to go anywhere. I will always love him but my love for him can't grow. What I Have with Adrian is different? I go to bed every night thinking I couldn't love him more. I wake up realizing that I do love him more."

"What happens after you finish school, when Lissa is ready to move on and you have to follow her?"

"We are still working that one out. Adrian has a place very close to Court. We asked Lissa if she would like to live with us instead of at court. The queen doesn't want her to."

"What will happen after you have the baby, Dimitri's baby?"

"That is one of the reasons I love him. He loves this baby. To him it is 'our' baby. He takes extra special care of me because he is already taking care of our baby. He wants to raise this baby as his."

"Rose, what about Dimitri? He is still out there. If he comes after you and you have to confront, him what are you going to do?"

I gave a big sigh and I placed my hands over my belly. "What am I going to do? That question has kept me up at night. Trying to save him is too dangerous and killing him….. Well I am not sure that I could do that anymore."

"Maybe we should try to find a way around Victor Dashkov. Then if he came after you and we had to confront him we could save him. If we can't save him then I will kill him so that you won't have to."

"Let's get out of here; this place is filled with too many memories." She stood up and as we walked out of the door she said.

"I knew it would be hard for you. I am sorry that I had to bring you here but I felt that there is no way you could hide your feelings from me here."

"You were right."

As we walked back to the main part of upper campus she asked me how I was doing.

"I am doing very well. I still get sick sometimes. But I have learned to keep crackers and Ginger ale on me. I think I mostly get sick when I am stressed out. Since Adrian began to suspect I was pregnant he's done such a good job of keeping me calm and happy that I rarely have to puke." She gave a little laugh.

"Poor man, you must have him working over time."

The look I gave her was meant to stop her giggling but instead she burst into a fit of laughter. I don't think I remember my mom ever laughing before. So instead of getting mad I gave her a playful punch in the arm.

-- -- --

When I got home Misty Blue, was waiting for me. I was feeling very tired. Lissa and Adrian had been doing a lot of practice. She was trying to learn how to dream walk. One evening I even let them put me to sleep so she could watch him walk into my dreams. I could feel the effects of all the spirit use. This morning Adrian expressed concern over the amount of shadows in my aura. I hope that I won't get too nutty with spirit before graduation. Misty blue rubbed up against my legs. I picked her up and snuggled with her on the couch. After a few moments of rubbing her fur and listening to her purr, I felt so much better. The kitten decided to go play. She chased invisible nothings and ran up and down her kitty condo. After a quick burst of energy she climbed up to the top most perch of her condo and fell fast asleep.

There was a note on the bathroom mirror.

"Please dress up for dinner. I'll be home shortly."

I dressed in a blue dress that we had bought while we were at court. After I applied some makeup I appraised myself in the mirror. I was pleased with what I saw. Thanks to Adrian's attention my skin was soft and smooth. Even my hands were in fair condition. He made sure that I had the best skin care products. Even when I was too tired to do it myself, he would apply moisturizer to my skin every night. The good diet and prenatal vitamins were having a positive effect on my skin and hair too.

"I hope you like what you see, I know I do." Adrian came up from behind me and kissed me on the neck. I looked at his reflection.

"Well thank you."

He smiled a huge smile at me and held me tight, his hands caressing my bump. He whispered in my ear.

"I love you both so much. Now before we leave people waiting for us, let's get down to dinner." With a sigh I let him lead me.

"You know my mom probably will feel strange having us fuss over her like this." The VIP dining room was set with red table cloths and roses. There were 7 settings set at the table. Lissa arrived shortly as did my mom and Christian.

"Adrian who else will be coming for dinner?"

Just then Sasha and Andrew walked in. Sasha first hugged Adrian she gave him a little cheek pinch.

"How is my favorite little cousin?"

He gave her a grin and a kiss on the cheek. Next she hugged me. Thankfully she did not pinch my cheek. Instead she gave me a cheek kiss and asked.

"And you Cousin Rose? How are you the littlest cousin doing?"

"We're good" It was nice to be treated like family by her but it did feel strange having someone call me cousin. Moroi (especially royals) used this term very loosely but they would never call a Dhampir cousin.

Once all the introductions were made we sat for dinner. Adrian had gone out of his way to plan such a nice dinner to welcome my mother home. I know he tends to be extravagant but really this was a bit overdone. I really hoped she did not think he was just sucking up. Mid meal I took a look around. The table was filled with friends and family. Everyone was talking and smiling, Lissa and Christian were getting along well despite the fact that they were no longer a couple.

When it looked like everyone was finished with their food Adrian arose from the table saying.

"Who is ready for something sweet?"

He disappeared though the door to the kitchen. A moment later he came out holding a cake covered with a chocolate gnash and chocolate roses decorating the top. He set it down in front of me. I looked at it then blinked a few times. Nestled in the center of the rose was a beautiful white gold ring. There was a large diamond circled by smaller diamonds. It sparkled in the candle light. Written on the cake were five words.

"Rose, will you Marry Me?"

I felt like my body was moving in slow motion. My heart was pounding so hard that I had to place my hand over it just to keep it inside. I read the cake again then looked up. Adrian was down on one knee beside me. Everyone at the table was smiling at me. I looked back at Adrian. I could not form the words so I threw my arms around him and nodded my head. The moment his arm encircled me I began to cry.

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Oh there it is ok so press it but be gentle it might bite.


	10. Family

I am really happy with the revies I have gotten so far. I have to say that I am surprised that no one has mentioned the kitty. She is written in for my own baby Misty with the blue eyes.

I was going to hold of on posting this chapter but I just can't wait. The next chapter is kinda long so I will post that in few instalments.

As you all know I don't own VA but that which is mine I freely share with you. Please enjoy it.

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Chapter 10: Family

"I can't believe that graduation is almost a week away." Lissa and I were in the process of finishing the last week of instruction. For me the coming week meant much more than my last week as a high school student.

In nine days I was going to receive my Promise mark. I would be a fully fledged Guardian, I would receive my assignment. I wanted more than anything to guard Lissa but I was still very worried that the counsel would assign me to someone else.

In ten days I would graduate with Lissa. This would be the last time we were really in class together as equals. If I was assigned to her I would audit the classes she took but I would not really be there to learn. I would be there to guard her. I would fight for her life if a Stigoi ever came near. From this point forward I would have to put her life before mine.

In eleven days I was going to do something that would make being a Guardian very difficult. I was going to pledge myself to the man I loved. I was going to try to be Guardian, Wife, Mother and Friend. I didn't know how I was going to do any of this.

I must have been quiet for too long. Lissa looked sidewise at me.

"You know with this damn bond going somewhat both ways, we have no secrets." She was right.

"I am just getting nervous. Sometimes I feel like there is so much on my shoulders"

"You have family and friends who will be there for you." She gave me a smile and thought the bond I felt love and encouragement.

We continued walking to the campus apartment that I shared with Adrian. There was more activity going on in the building than usual. This is where parents and relatives stayed when they visited students at the school. With graduation getting close a lot of families were beginning to arrive. I could feel thought the bond that Lissa was beginning to feel a longing for her family. She was the last of the Dragomir. Some royal families like Adrian's family were huge. There were hundreds of Ivashkovs. Lissa, her brother and her parents had been the last Dragomir family left. Then nearly three years ago when I was on vacation with them our car slid off the road and smashed against a tree. Lissa was the only one to survive. After the crash she found me, she wanted me to survive so badly that without knowing it she used spirit for the first time. She healed me and formed the first part of our bond. I took her hand as we walked though the hall to my door.

"Lissa, you have family. You have me." she gave me a small smile.

"I know thank you."

"I have been by your side since kindergarten. You are stuck with me sister." In my heart she really was a sister. More than a sister, she was my bondmate.

When we walked through the door Misty Blue was waiting as usual. She rubbed against my legs and I lifted her up. I held her like one would hold a baby over your shoulder she purred in my ear for a minute then reached out to paw the air between Lissa and I.

"I think she wants you Liss."

Lissa smiled and reached out for the kitten. I watched them snuggle. Lissa always loved cats. When we were on the run during our sophomore and Junior years she always wanted one. Ironically I now had a cat, and I was never the cat lover. After a few minutes of snuggling Misty Blue ran off to have what I called the crazies. She ran all over like she was chasing invisible flies. She would jump and flip and just act nuts. I knew when she was done she would climb to the top of the kitty condo and crash for a few hours. Lissa's mood improved after playing with Misty, it was amazing to me how much she made everyone feel better.

--

Time seemed to fly by. I just had two days left before my Molnija ceremony. Abraham Mazur was arriving in just a few minutes. I stood near the tarmac with my mother, Adrian and Lissa. I was so nervous, this was the first time I would meet him and know that he was my father. I had a little correspondence with him since I had gotten home from Russia. Out of respect I told him that I was pregnant and that the father was not involved. I told him about Adrian and my upcoming marriage. He must have been warned by mom not to voice his opinions too strongly. He had told me he knew of Adrian's reputation.

As the plane came into view my stomach knotted up. Lissa look my hand and Adrian gave my waist a tight little squeeze.

"I have a few surprises coming with Abe; I hope they make you happy."

The plane taxied to the end of the tarmac and several attendants rushed with the ramp. When the hatch was opened my father got off the plane looking just as intimidating as he did when I saw him last. When he spotted my mother and me his face softened and he gave us a smile. I was surprised by how much one smile could change his face. The surprise was that he was not alone. Next off was Oksana and mark. The shock of seeing them again did not have a chance to register. Olena and Yeva came out followed by Dimitri's sisters with their kids. Yeva's eyes were narrowed in on me. I knew she must be pissed that I was with someone else so soon after losing Dimitri. She must also be pissed that I did not fulfill my promise to kill him.

I was so fixated on Yeva that I didn't notice the last person to exit the plane. Sydney gave me a hug and said.

"Just because I traveled half way across the world with a bunch of evil creatures of the night to see you, does not mean I don't think you aren't an evil creature of the night too, cuz you are. Since I know you won't snack on me can crash on your couch?"

She caught me so off guard that I took my focus off of Yeva and laughed at scared look on her face.

"Sydney you are welcome to crash with me. Just so you know I Live with another evil creature now." She simply nodded and moved to the edge of the group.

I hadn't even realized that I missed any of these people as much as I did. I knew that it was going to be hard to talk with Dimitri's family. I really wanted them to be part of the baby's life. I just hope that they could understand how I could be so sure about Adrian after such a short amount of time.

After we got the Suite and Room assignment for all our guests we set about getting everyone settled. Adrian carried Yeva and Olena's bags himself. Yeva's bag looked very heavy. I could not help but wonder how many bricks she brought with her. The Belakov suite was not far from ours.

"Adrian, I need to talk with them privately"

He nodded and gave me a hug and kiss on the top of my head.

"I'll see you before dinner."

He walked down the hall to our place. He gave me one last look of encouragement and love. I walked thought the door. They were already seated around the room. His youngest sister Viktoria was sitting on the floor. The babies were crawling around while his nephew played with some cars but all the women were looking at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and sat down on the empty leather chair.

"Thank you for coming for my commencement and my wedding. I know that you must think about my wedding. Believe me when I say to you that my love for Dimitri is real. The thing is that he is gone and I had to let him go. It may seem like such a short time to have fallen in love with another man. I didn't think that my life would unfold the way it has. I never expected that I could ever love anyone ever again." I looked at them in my heart I was praying that they would not hate me. I was surprised that in the eyes of Olena and his sisters I saw patience; Yeva gave me a piercing look but said nothing. I continued "Did Yeva tell you why I had gone to Russia? Many months ago, before Dimitri and I ever acknowledged our love, we made an unspoken Promise to each other. If either of us were to be turned, then the other would kill them lest the live like a soulless monster. When Abe brought me to you I had been looking for him. I wanted to stay with you, being with you was like having some kind of connection to him. I realized that if I stayed with you I would be letting the person he loved die with him. That is why I left the way I did. A few weeks later he found me. He kept me for over a week. Part of me wanted to believe he was still my Dimitri, my love. I tried to release him but I failed. The attempt nearly killed me." I looked in my hands, the same hands that had tried to plunge a Stake into the heart of my lost love. "There is a way, I don't yet know how but there is a way to turn him back. The man who knows the secrets is in prison. He will not tell unless I break him out, He is a soulless monster. I can't let him out. I made the decision to try to let go of Dimitri." I looked up at them "I made the only decision I could at the time." Olena's voice was soft and kind.

"Rose we are here for you, not to judge you. Please continue."

"Adrian has loved me for nearly as long as he has known me. I didn't return his feelings at first because I was in love with Dimitri. Then after, he let me know that he was still interested but that he was content to be a friend. In a short time his kindness grew on me. He has been there for me through so much already. He is the one who gave me the money to go to Russia. When I came back here he understood my grief. I was such a mess when I got home, but he helped me understand what was happening to me." My hands moved to my stomach. I looked directly at Yeva. I knew this is what she was waiting for me to confess. Her gaze was intense but not accusing. "Adrian is the one who realized I am pregnant. He knew that even though it should be impossible, this baby is Dimitri's." I looked down at my small bump. My hand caressed it protectively. "I have part of him with me, a part I can protect and care for and love. Adrian and I decided that it is best if no one know that the real father is Dimitri. I know that it has been only a few months but time with Adrian is hard to describe, it is like I have been with him twice as long as I have. Adrian and I have fallen in love; he loves me and my baby. I trust him." I looked up again. Every one of the women had tears in their eyes. I began to cry and Olena was the first to put her arms around me.

"Don't cry. You are still my beloved Daughter."

"What will you do, if he comes after you?" His youngest sister, Viktoria, looked up at me.

"I can't kill my baby's father, not as long as there is a chance to turn him back. Adrian and Abe have been using their contacts to get as many old resources we can get our hands on. There is not a lot of info on spirit wielders, but we are trying to find answers."

"If you find your answers and you turn him, what will you do then? If you love both men what will you do.?"

"I will always love Dimitri but we had so many roadblocks our love was never given any chance to grow. But the relationship I have with Adrian is different. It grows and changes, I would not leave Adrian for Dimitri. This child is his; if he were turned back then I would want him to be in the child's life."

--

I went back home to Adrian a short time later. I felt utterly spent. I still had one more day of finals before my promise ceremony. I felt a swirl of emotion from Lissa. I sat on the couch and opened myself more to her. She was feeling lonely again. The full realization that she would have no family to attend her commencement celebrations had hit her when she saw how many people had come for me. I did not know what to do. I was surprised as she was to have so many people come off that plane. When we were growing up I had the idea that I would be the one who would not have anyone there. I went to her. Lissa was in the sitting in the attic of the church. The room looked different. All the boxes had been moved to far side of the room. It looked more like a dressing room than an attic. I realized that there was even more to her lonely feelings.

"_Liss you'll always have me."_

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**Warning:** By pressing the green button you will be cousing unbelievable happiness to the author.


	11. Ch 11 Promiced

Ok Here we are this is the big weekend. It is the end of the life as a Student and the beining of life as a Fully Fleged Guardian. This chapter was so big that I decided to make it a 3 parter. The first instalment is the shortest, but it is still very signifigant. I hope you like it. I will post part 2 tomorrow.

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Chapter: 11 Ceremonies

PROMICED

I stood in front of the mirror dressed in the Guardian uniform that Dimitri had given me for Victor's trial. It was a little tight but for the most part it still fit well enough. I pinned my hair up in a French twist. I knew that the few other female novices would have cut their hair in some kind of cute bob. I liked my hair; it came down to my waist and was full, dark and shiny. I had once lamented to Dimitri that I would miss my hair but he simply told me just pin it up. He loved my hair too. The few times he had let his guard down he would touch my hair.

"Rose, you are so stunning." Adrian came up from behind me and held me in his arms. I leaned me head so that it rested against his shoulder.

"I miss him; he should be here to shake my hand."

"I know that you miss him. I sometimes hear you talk to him. It's ok to miss him. You loved him and you are carrying part of him with you; here and here." He laid one hand on my visible bump and one over my heart. He held me for a few more minutes before walking me do the Guardian building

The large room that had been used for conferences and planning after the attack on the school had been filled with chairs for the parents. Most of the novices only had a mother and maybe a sibling there. I stood up at the front of the room with my fellow classmates. Each of us was dressed in a black pant suit and dress shoes. Along the wall behind us were our teachers. There were three funny looking chairs set in front of us. The chairs were made so that you sit and lean forward and rest your forehead against a pad. There was also arm rests that allowed the occupant to squeeze something. I recognized them from when I had received my Molnija marks before. The ceremony was somewhat somber. As each student was called he or she would sit in a chair and lean forward. Their family would stand silently as the wavy line was tattooed on his or her neck. Any accomplishments that he or she had made were read out and then the name of the person they were to be assigned to was called out.

When Eddie Castel was called his mother and two younger siblings stood. There was pride as well as fear and sadness in his mother's face. I was focused on his mother's face and did not listen to his accomplishments but my head snapped up when I heard that he was to be assigned to Lissa. I looked over at Albert, this couldn't be happening. I was supposed to be her guardian. My own feelings were intensified by Lissa's. Alberta gave me a calm look and a hand gesture. I closed my mouth and counted in my head till I heard my name.

I sat in the chair. I wrapped my arms around the rest. The promise mark tingled in a way that the Molnija had not. I wondered if there was some magic charmed into the ink, like the ink in Sydney's tattoo.

"Rose Hathaway is distinguished among her peers. She has received two Molnija marks for killing Strigoi previous to the attack on our school. She has received a Zvezda (star) mark for fighting fearlessly alongside experienced guardians during the attack. It was through her unique abilities that we learned where the Strigoi had fled after the attack. It is because of her that we were able to rescue so many captives. When her mentor and friend had been taken she left the safety of school to find him. During her time in Russia she was responsible for the death of five more Strigoi. Princess Verilsa Dragomir will be lucky to have her as a guardian."

I looked up at Lissa. I could see the smile on her face and relief though our bond. My family stood for me; Adrian, my future husband, my mother and father, Lissa, Sidney and all of Dimitri's family. Dimitri's family thought of me as a daughter in law. It was as if I was Dimitri's widow. The fact that I was marrying another man did not change this.

After the promise ceremony my parents invited all my "family" as well as Eddie and his family to a party in one of the school's conference rooms. They insisted that Lissa and I walk in first. There was a big banner that read. Congratulations Rose and Lissa They were giving us a graduation party. I could feel that Lissa was feeling a little less lonely. This made me happy. I was glad that they were including her. She was more than a sister to me. Every one gave a card or gift to each of us. My parents gave us identical bracelets. Each had a dragon, a rose, a dove and a circle made of silver and gold intertwined.

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	12. Ch 11 Graduation

Ok this is the longest of the three istalments. I hope you enjoy it.

Theresa mija, I hope you and your friends like this.

To every one who has read and reviewed, I appriciate the time you take to do so.

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GRADUATION

Lissa's POV

This was it the end of life at the academy. What a strange feeling. I am excited and scared at the same time. It's going to be different then we had planned. Months ago before things got so turned around Rose and I dreamed what life was going to be like when I went to live at court. We were hoping to rent one of the town houses on the compound. She and I would go to school. Christian was going to go to a collage nearby. At the time I did not know that Rose and Dimitri were struggling between the duties to protect me and the feelings they had for each other. When Rose had come back from Russia she told me Dimitri had planned to transfer to a position at court so that they could be together. Things are going to be a little different. Adrian has property he inherited from some relative. He said that it is practically bordering the court compound. He wants me to move there with him and Rose. By the time we start school in September Rose will be showing so there won't be any collage parties in her future. I sighed and tried to bury my feelings so that Rose might not notice them. I could feel that she was content right now and I didn't want to make her worry about me.

I dressed in a pink silk sheath dress. I had to admit I was beautiful, but not in the same way Rose was. I put the emerald green graduation gown on over my dress. There was a knock at my door; I was surprised to see Rose and Eddie standing there, both in their gowns and smiling.

"Are you ready Princess?" Eddie gave a bow. Rose giggled.

"We decided begin our guardian duties by escorting you to the graduation." I smiled and nodded as I closed the door behind me.

The whole ceremony seemed to go by in a flash. It felt like I had barely stood up to give my speech before it was over. I looked out at the crowd of families knowing that my parents and brother would not be there but silently wishing they were. Rose's parents and her new extended family were standing and applauding when I finished my speech.

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Rose POV

Saturday afternoon after Graduation

I was packing an overnight bag for my little sleep over bridal shower with Dimitri's family. As I packed I opened my self to Lissa. Her feelings were tumultuous.

"Adrian, I am getting really worried about Lissa. She isn't taking things so well."

"In what way?"

"It's very hard to put everything into words." I bit my lip and thought for a minute. "Things are not the way we planned them, the way we always thought they would be. She doesn't want to feel like this but she resents me." I opened myself to her a little more. I didn't want her to know that I was listening to her feelings and thoughts. "My 'condition' is something she didn't ever plan on. She always thought I wouldn't have kids or at least not till she did." I gently rubbed my bump. "The wedding tomorrow really has her upset. Neither of us ever expected that I would ever marry. It was a given that I would simply be her best friend and Guardian. Adrian she is right I was meant to be a Guardian. By betting married I am pledging myself to you. How can I be a good Guardian and a good wife at the same time?"

He wrapped his arms around me. I began to cry into his chest. I had my own fears and doubts. Now they mingled with Lissa's.

"Rose I want you to close yourself off from her for a while, and listen to me."

I took a deep breath and concentrated on putting my mental walls up. It was difficult because she was so emotional but finally I felt that my mind was finally my own again. I took another breath and slowly let it out. When I looked into his beautiful eyes I was no longer crying.

"Rose, you deserve to have a life that is your own. You have both been raised to think that your life is supposed to take a back seat to hers. Life is not fair but it is not fair for everyone. Yes you are getting married and you are having a family but just a few months ago you lost your first love. What is fair about that? She is going to have to change her plans a bit but her love is still alive and there is still a chance for them to reconcile."

"How will I be able do everything, be a good Guardian wife and mother?"

"You will find Balance and I am here to help you. Part of the job of being a good husband is being supportive to your wife." He kissed me long and full on the lips.

--

I knocked on the door of the Belakov suit. Yeva answered the door. She gave me a smile and let me in. (I think that is the first time she has ever smiled at me.) The room was filled with people; my mother Alberta, Lissa, Sasha, Sydney, Oksona and all of Dimitri's family. There was a table filled with food and another with gifts. I have never been to any kind of thing like this and I didn't know what to say. Olena was the one who broke the ice.

"The bride is here, let's eat. Everyone take a plate and start over here."

As I looked through the bounty I spotted some of the Black bread Olena had made during my time in Baia.

"Oh I love this, Olena did you make it fresh?" She smiled at me

"The cook let us use her kitchen, but I had to give her two loaves of bread."

"Unfortunately novices don't get to take classes like culinary arts. I wish I knew how to make it."

"Next time I will teach you."

We filled our plates and sat anywhere. I was given a chair but most of the younger people sat on the floor. Once every one had their fill, Olena pronounced it present time.

First was a gift from my mom. It was a necklace with a simple rope chain with a light blue stone.

"Mom this is beautiful"

"It was given to me by your father before you were born. I would love for you to wear it tomorrow."

"It can be the something blue I heard about."

Olena gave me a quilt that she made by hand. When Sasha handed me a small box she handed me a card. I read it out loud but soon regretted that decision.

"Congratulations! I know that you will be happy with Cousin Adrian. Since you will be going on your honeymoon I thought you should know that you have your doctor's ok to have a few 'battles in the bedroom. I thought this might come in handy. Love Cousin Sasha."

I could feel the heat on my face as I looked up at all the faces. Every one of them was smiling and holding back laughter.

"Sorry Cousin, it's kind of a tradition to embarrass the bride. Now show us what is in the bag."

With horror I reached in. Whatever it was, it was silky and I could feel some soft lace on it. I took my hand out of the bag and shook my head.

"Hell no, I am not pulling that thing out of there!"

"Rose, don't be rude to your guests. Show us the gift." My mom had her serious tone in her voice but her face wore a light smirk.

"Show us Rose"

"Yeah Rose, we want to see it."

I slowly reached my hand in and pulled out a creamy colored baby doll top with matching panties. It was not exactly like the one that Adrian had dreamed up for our first encounter but it was close enough to make be blush brighter than I ever would have thought. After that most every gift I got was something just as embarrassing if not more. From Lissa I got a Journal inside was a note.

"Our lives are changing so much I thought that you could use this. Love, Lissa." I gave her a hug and whispered in her ear.

"I am glad we will be together."

The last gift was given to me by Yeva. With both hands she handed me a very old looking wooden box. She said something to me in Russian and patted my head.

"She is wishing you a happy marriage"

I opened the box carefully. The inside of the box and lid were lined with silk. Nestled inside was a Tiara. It was delicate and beautiful. I looked up at Yeva.

"Yeva this is beautiful." I was about to tell her that it was much too nice of a gift, but before I could continue she spoke.

"My Great, Great grandmother married a Royal, this was the tiara she wore for her wedding. It is only fitting that My Granddaughter wears it especially since she is marrying a royal as well. I want you to have it."

I went to her and gave her a hug. I whispered in her ear.

"I promise to hand this down to Dimitri's child." She nodded her head. The rest of the evening consisted of girlie things like nail painting and putting hair in curlers.

Every one settled into the beds and air mattresses. I could not sleep so I crept out of bed and went out on the balcony. It was a warm clear day, about noon human time. Out here I was able to think. I knew that marrying Adrian was right. I was having trouble with the question that Viktoria had asked. What was going to happen if I do save Dimitri, will he be able to move on in his life since I will be married? I was only out there a moment before Yeva came out.

"You should be sleeping. A bride should not be tired for her Honeymoon."

"I am just worried. I know that I am doing the right thing for me and Adrian. For now it is the right thing to do to protect my baby. In the long run, I do believe I will find a way to save Dimitri. Will my decision now hurt him?"

"Granddaughter, listen to me. When I told you to fulfill your mission, though you did not release him you did succeed in what you were supposed to do. If you had not seen for yourself what he is now you could not have let him go. You were meant to marry Adrian, just as you were meant to have Dimitri's child. Your fate has been intertwined with theirs since before even my great, great Grandmother was born. In time you and your children will be very important to our world."

"Children, I really had only planed on having one."

"You must have many, and they should be close in age."

"I am a guardian I can't take years off to have children"

"You are a Guardian and you will not stop. Being a Guardian is not going to change, how you guard will. In time Dimitri will be proud to have been your teacher. In time he will not feel the pain of losing you."

"Thank you. As usual you have been cryptic and confusing but still I do feel better."

We went back to bed. I did feel better. I cannot say that I understood everything she said but the idea that Dimitri will be able to move on helped me sleep.

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Green Button.... Green Button.... Green Button... lol


	13. Ch11 Wedding Day

**Ok here is the big day. I hope you enjoy. The disclamer stands. I do not own VA but that which is mine I freely share with you.**

**All my Loyal Readers.....I LOVE YA!!!! ** Yes Weesa love you too mija.

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THE WEDDING DAY

Adrian's POV

My eyes popped open long before my alarm went off. There was so much to be done today. I wanted everything to be perfect for Rose. I was the one who did most of the planning for the wedding. I used what I know about Rose and her likes to try to pull off the most beautiful wedding she could ever want. Rose wanted to have the wedding here at St Vladimir because it was the closest thing to home for her. Being a Dhampir she never imagined ever getting married. Moroi girls and Human girls all grow up knowing that someday they will probably get married. They dream about it from the time they are very young. But my Rose, her only goal had been to be a Guardian. Her Moroi Lissa was to be her first and foremost priority for the rest of her life. Dimitri had changed that. They fell in love even though they both fought against it. (I am a bit jealous of the love she still has for him, I know that she may have to face him one day. She will either have found a way to save him or she will have to kill him but I will be there for here no matter what she does.) One thing she learned from her experience with him was that she had wants and needs of her own. I am lucky that someone as wonderful as her could love me. I have heard her talk to Dimitri's picture. She would have agreed to marry me anyway but she would have insisted on dating longer. Fortunately for me, her desire to protect our child, (Yes I know I am not the father but I care for it just the same.) that she agreed to have a wedding as soon as she graduated.

Several guests were still scheduled to arrive this morning. I went to the tarmac to wait for their arrival. First to arrive was my mother, sister, brother in law and their children. I was quite happy to see them. Unfortunately Rose had never had the pleasure to meet them before. This side of my family along with Sasha and her family were my favorites; they were all very kind hearted people who were genuinely happy for me. I got them settled in my apartment. Then I went to wait for the rest. The next plane held Father and Queen Tatiana, and Aunt Kristiana. Kristiana was Cousin Sasha's mother was my father's sister but she was nothing like my father or Great Aunt Tatiana. I often wondered how those to sour Apples fit in with the rest of us. Unfortunately most people judged my family by the actions my father and of the queen.

When the queen disembarked from the plane she gave me a glare. I knew she was furious that I was actually going to marry Rose. She could not see how wonderful a woman Rose was. All she could see was a poor Dhampir. To her I was marrying someone who was not only beneath me. I might as well have been marrying a slave. I knew that she felt this way because I remember hearing her speak of Sasha and Andrew's marriage.

"You're Majesty."

I gave her a bow and she perused her lips before greeting me with a curt nod. Father gave me a similar greeting but Kristiana hugged me warmly and said.

"Congratulations Adrian if she is half as nice as you and Sasha, claim than I am sure you will be a lucky man."

"Thank you Auntie Kristiana." I walked my guest to the suite kept for Tatiana's visits.

-----

I hurried off to check the dining hall first. It was a beehive of activity. Already it looked wonderful. The walls had been draped in a deep shade of purple it was almost amethyst. The tables were laid with cloths just a shade darker and the chairs where covered as well. The flowers were already set up in here. This afternoon, it would be spectacular. In the kitchen the caterer was hard at work; she assured me everything would be ready for dinner. The cake was in the walk in refrigerator. It had real Flowers arranged on it. Next I went to the church, the flowers were already there and the florist was placing the arrangements around the Altar. The last thing I checked was the rooms we would be using as dressing rooms. Andrew, Christian and I would be using the sacristy it was the same room Father Andrew used. Rose, Lissa and Sasha would use the attic room usually used for storage. All the Dresses were in place. Rose had hers covered. Her dress was the one detail I had not seen. Lily my favorite dressmaker and Rose were in charge of her dress. I was about to leave when Lissa walked in.

"Your early, its only 10:30 pm. The wedding is at 2 am."

"I know I just wanted some time to reflect, my dorm has already been packed and I gave back my key yesterday and Olena's suit is so full of people." I could see though her aura that she was holding back.

"Lissa, can I talk with you about something. It may not be my place to say this but Rose is very worried that you are not handling this well. She feels like she has ruined all your plans."

She looked down I could see that she felt guilty, that I had hit on the thing she wanted to 'reflect' on. She sat on the window sill; I grabbed a chair form the dressing table and sat close to her. I took her hand and spoke gently.

"Lissa, all her life Rose and you have been told that her life was supposed to revolve around you. The way things are ingrained in our society Dhampirs are taught that Moroi come first. I want to ask you, as Roses closest friend, do you think that you are more important than she is? Do you think that your Happiness should come first?" Lissa looked out the stained glass window, her eyes were full of tears but she shook her head.

"I never thought of her as less than me."

"Then Lissa why are you so upset that things have changed? Rose never planned to have any of this happen. She tried not to love Dimitri. Her life is changing even more than yours. She is going to be a mother. She is terrified that she won't be a good mother. She is afraid of the sacrifices she will have to make to her child and to you in order to be both good mother and good guardian. I also knew that once she knew about the baby there is no way she would have considered terminating her pregnancy. This baby is her living connection to Dimitri."

She sat looking out the window but I knew she was listening.

"I realize that my marrying her is going to complicate things farther but I love her. She and the baby deserve to have a family life and so do I. Lissa rose wants you to be part of it. In some ways you are the most important person in her life, even still."

"I want her to be happy. I have just been having a problem letting go of the dreams we had."

"I know and I am sorry if I intruded. For me it's hard to see her upset when she should be happy." Lissa wiped her eyes.

"I think I have to help my best friend get ready for her wedding. Thank you Adrian, I know she will be in good hands with you by her side." She gave me a hug and we walked down together. Her aura was much brighter now.

**Roses POV**

I stood in front of the mirror. Lily had finished attaching my vale to Yeva's tiara, and was now placing it on my head. I didn't recognize the image I saw. I have always been pretty in a hot kind of way. The woman before me wasn't hot, but she was more beautiful than I could have imagined. She had a glow of joy on her face. Her white gown was simple yet had an elegance that went well with the antique tiara. Her hair was in soft curls that rolled down her back. She looked nothing like a guardian, she looked strong and proud and happy. My mother came up behind me.

"You look so beautiful."

"I can't believe that, that is me."

I gave her a hug. I could feel Lissa, her feelings for me were clear. I looked over at her, she smiled at me. She was truly happy for me. There was a knock, and someone called though the Door.

"It's time."

I took a breath and reached out for my bouquet. Sasha and Lissa went down first, my mother and I followed. I heard the music play as Sasha and Lissa walked slowly down the aisle. The music changed signaling my moment. I didn't think of the people watching me; or any of the things that had been worrying me. Of all the crazy things in my life, Adrian was one thing I was sure of. I knew I had to go slowly but it was hard not to hurry. I paced my steps with my mother's. I looked straight to the Alter, there waiting for me was Adrian. He stood there with Andrew, Christian, Lissa and Sasha. My eyes locked on to his and my heart beat a little faster. His smile was heaven to me. After an eternity of walking I finally took my place by his side. My mother took my hand and placed it in his before sitting with Abe. Father Andrew began to speak but I only looked at Adrian, this felt almost like a dream. I am not sure how I managed to say my vows since I was too busy thinking about holding Adrian and knowing he was mine. Within moments I heard Fr. Andrew announce

"You may now kiss the Bride."

He wrapped me in his arms and kissed me slowly. It was tender at first but there was a moment of intensity before we turned to our families and friends. Fr. Andrew said.

"Please let me introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Ivashkov."

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**Well they did it! How do you think Rose being married to Adrian will effect the search for the cure for Dimitri? If she saves him how will he react to the fact that she is married to Adrian of all people?**

**I am just wondering what you guys think will happen. Press the green button and let me know.**


	14. Ch 12 Salutations to the Bride

Ok There will be some surpising Details in here. I used facts from Rachael Meads books and added a twist here and there. I hope you like it. my disclamer stands I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

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Chapter 12: Salutations to the Bride

We walked into the dining hall and I was taken aback. The room was transformed. The boring white walls had been hidden behind silky panels of fabric. Soft lighting was provided by dozens of candelabras. There were flowing arrangements of plants and flowers. I looked at my new husband with pride. I knew he did this for me, and though I would have been happy with much less, I saw it as a small expression of his love. As we walked through, Adrian and I were hugged and greeted by so many people. My actual guest list had been small I realized that a lot of classmates stayed over for the wedding. The Dhampirs were all genuinely happy for me. There were some of the Moroi royals who congratulated me but the sentiment didn't seem Genuine. I realize that to them I am stepping above my station. Thing is I don't care what they think. Moroi Men and Dhampir women get together all the time. 'HELLO' that is where we get more Dhampirs. I am going to be doing the same thing; I just got married is all. I think that they would not have been so mad if I had married a non royal.

Soon enough everyone was seated for dinner. The Queen was seated at a table with several other members of Adrian's family. I could see from where I was that she was still upset that Adrian and I are together. I leaned over to whisper into Adrian's ear.

"I think your aunt looks quite 'happy' tonight don't you think." He looked over at her then he gave me a kiss.

"Just wait till she finds out our little secret." He gave me such a devilish grin that I could not help but laugh.

I was feeling so happy but as always I wanted to see how Lissa was doing. Looking over at her I could see that she was smiling and talking with Christian. I opened myself to her, she really was as happy as she looked and it felt like they were talking things out. I put my walls back up and gave them complete privacy.

Throughout dinner I looked around. Mom and Abe were sitting close together and I could see that there was still something there. Sydney was sitting at a table alone moving her food around her plate and looking very uncomfortable. Many of my classmates were already on duty guarding the Moroi in attendance. Olena and her daughters were talking and smiling while they ate. Yeva for once was not glaring at me; instead her piercing eyes were locked on Nathan Ivashkov. I nudged Adrian.

"Do you see the way that Yeva is looking at your dad? He looks like he is trying not to look at her." Adrian looked and then cocked his head. He was quiet for a moment. When he finally spoke it was in a whisper.

"Rose do you see any family resemblance between me and Dimitri's sisters, or maybe between them and my dad?"

"Are you saying that he is their father to?" This was something that I really did not expect. I looked over at the Belakov siblings. They each looked so much like their mother, but yet there were little bits the shape of the ears or the way that they had a similar smile as Adrian. "Yes Adrian I think I can see some shared features."

"When I was just 10 years old my father came home from a 'Business trip' looking like he had gotten the shit beat out of him. He told my mother that he had gotten mugged. She didn't believe him but she didn't know what she could do about it. She was terrified by him. Well a few days later she heard his guardians talking about how he had been beat up by one of the kids he had with his blood whore. The kid was tired of seeing him beat his mother. That was the day my mom left my dad and took my sisters and me with her. I remember looking though his desk and finding an address for some town in Siberia. The family name was Belakov I sent a letter to that boy; I thanked him for giving my mom courage to take us away from him."

"Adrian Dimitri told me he beat up his father when he was 13. He never said anything about a letter."

"Well I guess that we know why Yeva is giving him the stink eye." He gave a little chuckle. But then his face got a bit serious. "Rose, this baby is really related to me. We share the same blood. I think no matter what we were meant to be a family." He gave me a sweet look and put his hand over mine.

One of the school's Guardians approached us; he held an envelope in his hands, it was the shape and size of a greeting card. "Pardon me for the intrusion; this was left for you at the gate. We wanted to make sure that you received it before you left on your Honeymoon."

"Thank you."

Adrian took the envelope and as he turned it around to look for some indication who it was from. I saw the writing on the front. It simply said. 'To the Happy Couple' I recognized the writing.

I swallowed hard and took hold of Adrian's hand. I tilted my head towards the door. He rose and followed me out. Once I could, I ran for the nearest bathroom to get sick. Adrian waited for me by the door. He held the envelope in his hand unopened. I carefully took it and opened it. Inside was a typical card that one would give to a newly married couple. There was a folded news paper article, one that had a picture of Adrian and me, and announced our upcoming wedding. The hand written greeting read.

Dearest Roza.

Congratulations to you. Should I be surprised to find out that you are a traitorous unfaithful tramp? Enjoy what time together you have, it won't last long. Perhaps I will catch him alone so that I can congratulate him myself. I still have much to teach you, but first I will be watching and making notes. I will be back to teach you a lesson soon. Look for me in the night.

Love Dimitri.

My knees gave way under me, if not for Adrian I would have fallen to the ground. Within moments I was surrounded by Lissa, Eddie, and Mom. My hand trembled as I handed the card to my mother. I could see her instantaneously gear into Guardian mode. I took a deep breath and found the strength to follow her example. Once I did, I began to analyze the message again.

"He's not going to attack me yet. He is going to wait till I get lulled into a routine. Till he thinks he can catch me off guard."

"I agree, but still I would prefer if you had more protection than just you and Arthur with you when you leave tonight." I could tell that she was trying to figure out a way to beef up the number of guardians she could send with us without crashing my honeymoon by coming along with Lissa and Eddie in tow.

"Oh no, no and Hell No! I am not bringing my mother and my friends with me on my honeymoon!"

"How about borrowing a few of Abraham's?" I didn't like the idea but I knew it was the better of the two choices.

"Ok ask him? Let's go back in there and try not to let on that anything happened."

From behind me I heard a small mew. Misty Blue was running towards me from the direction of the visitors housing building. I reached down and picked her up and nuzzled her against my cheek. Her sweet purr and soft fur was so soothing. She licked my hand as I pet her. I whispered to her.

"How do you do that? How did you know I needed you and where to find me? How did you even get out of a 3rd story suite?"

Her only reply was to purr louder. I carried her with me into the hall. When a few people asked where we went I said that I could not stand to leave Misty Blue out of the festivities. When it was time for us to cut the cake Sydney asked if she could hold Misty for me. I could see that the cat had the same soothing affect on her as she seemed to have one everyone. By the time the band began to play Misty Blue had already amused Sydney with her cat crazies and was fast asleep on her lap.

Adrian and I were sharing a dance when Abe asked if he could cut in. Abe took me into his arms and Adrian went to ask my mom for a dance.

"I have called for a Private Jet to take you to your destination and you will take two of my Guardians with you." He glided me around the dance floor as he spoke.

"Thank you, Zmay or should I call you Dad?" He looked at me and smiled. His fierce eyes softened.

The more I got to know my parents, and the more time I spent thinking of my own child I began to understand them a bit more. They both had made mistakes when they were young, things that they regretted. The biggest I think was that they let Tatiana pull them apart.

"Dad, I have another favor to ask of you." I looked into his face.

"The man I went looking for was Olena's son. He was my mentor and my first love. Through some miracle of spirit he is the one who fathered my baby. I cannot kill my baby's father but I have to stop him. I have to find a way around Victor Dashkov. I have to find a way to turn Dimitri back into a Dampher. I know that you have already been looking for any references on spirit but well it has gotten more urgent. I need you to beg borrow and steal any books or other resources regarding spirit that can help me."

"When you come home I will have whatever I can find waiting for you. I will continue looking until there is nothing left to find."

The dance ended and he handed me back to my husband.

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**Ok What do you think?**

_**Will Christian Make up with Lissa?**_

_**Are Adrian and Dimitri half brothers?**_

_**Do you like the Kitten?**_

**Please Review and let me know.**


	15. Ch 13 The Whitsunday Islands

**The location of the honeymoon is somewhere I have always wanted to visit. I have seen the Great Barrior Reef and been Down the Gold Coast. I hope one day I can go back to Australia. **

**I hope you all enjoy this Chapter. I admit it is mostly fluff but you cant have a wedding without a Honeymoon!**

**For those of you who are wondering about Dimitri we are not finished with him yet. I have things planed and I promice He will Be Turned Back into a DHAMPIR in the future.**

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Chapter 13: Whitsunday Islands

"This is ridicules, I am a Guardian and I am sitting on a boat waiting for other guardians to tell me if it is safe for me to disembark." Though I didn't say so to anyone else I knew that there were no Stigoi around. If there was any here I would have felt it.

I could feel Adrian watch as I paced back and forth. He reached out and pulled me down to his lap. There was a playful smile on his lips.

"My goodness you are stunning when you get all pissed off." His kiss was soft and eager. I ran my hand through his hair and held a tuft near the base of his skull. He ran a hand along my back and up my side caressing my breast. I pulled my lips away from his so I could nibble his ear. His voice was rough as he whispered sweet nothings in my ear.

It was Arthur's voice that broke up our embrace. First he gave a little cough to get our attention.

"It is safe for you to take your bride to the beach house. We brought your things in for you already."

"Thank you, Arthur."

Adrian wrapped his arms around me and stood up with me still held securely. I raised one eyebrow.

"It looks like my class has done some good. You made that look effortless."

"I'll show you effortless." He carried me all the way from the boat down the dock up the beach and into the beach house. He did not put me down till he set me down at the foot of a California King sized bed. I cupped his face in my hands.

"Come freshen up with me." My voice was suggesting more than just washing hands and faces. I took his hand and went through an open door to the luxurious bathroom. I felt a little shy. We made love in our dream walks quite often but in the waking world we were never did much more than make out. We took turns taking items of clothing off of each other. His body was beautiful to me. His skin was pale and creamy. He had grown some muscles since he started to train in self defense. He still was not as buff as Dimitri but he was about as buff as a Moroi could possibly get. His chest hair was soft and fairly sparse. We didn't speak at all while we took a hot shower together, yet so much seemed to be said through his eyes and hands.

When we were clean and dried off he lifted me up and placed me on the bed. He was about to compel me to sleep so we could Dream walk together. I was prepared for this and acted fast. I used my fighting skills to pull him down and pin him to the bed. He looked absolutely shocked.

"Not tonight buddy. I got a doctor's note. I am bringing on a battle tonight."

"Are you sure it's ok?" The look on his face was priceless. He was like a child who just opened an incredible gift and was afraid that he would not be able to keep it.

I got up and looked for my bag. I reached into the side pocket and handed him Sasha's card.

"See, I told you I have a doctor's note." I could not keep the smugness from my voice.

He reached for me and to my surprise he carefully flipped me and pinned me. I had wondered for a while if making love to him physically would be as good as it was during our dream walking. It was so much better. When our little battle was over and our energy spent we fell asleep in each other's arms.

I woke up alone, I reached out and the bed next to me was still warm. I sat up and looked around. It was morning. The light that came in through the window was soft and had a lavender hue. It only took me a moment to remember that I was on the other side of the world and my day was daytime here. I could hear Adrian in the other room. I reached for my robe and walked out to the terrace. The air was cool and fresh. It was the first of July but here in Australia it was winter. I looked out at the predawn sky. Adrian came out to stand with me, he wrapped his arms around me and he rested his chin on my shoulder. We stood there together watching the sunrise.

"How do you feel?" His voice was soft in my ear.

"Mmm. I feel wonderful. I am a little sore but I sort of expected it." He held me a little more tightly.

"I'm sorry; I was really trying to be careful. You don't think it hurt the baby do you?" I turned to look at him. His face was full of concern. Holding his face with both hands I said.

"The baby is fine. I am sore because it has been three and a half months since I had sex for the very first time. For my body this was only the second time and I am not used to it. I feel wonderful and the fact that I am a little sore just reminds me that we made love." I looked up at him and bit my lip before asking. "Think we could do it again?"

------

We lay in bed, his head on my chest as he looked down at my bump. He caressed it lovingly. I felt a flutter inside me. Nothing I read prepared me for feeling my baby for the first time. I stopped Adrian's hand with mine.

"Can you feel that?" He held very still. Neither of us breathed for a few moments. "It's moving."

"I can't feel it but I can see its aura changing." This caught me by surprise.

"You can see my baby's aura even before it is born?"

"Yes I noticed it right away when you came home. I was not sure what it was. I have been around other pregnant woman but I never see an unborn baby's aura till like the last day or two before birth and even then it is extremely faint. You were obviously not full term so I did not make the connection till you started exhibiting other symptoms."

"What does it look like?" I was intrigued by the idea of knowing anything more about the little person growing inside me.

"Well when you came home it was very faint. It is a little swirl that extends to about here." He traced a bubble around my midsection. For the most part it is a purple that changes from pinkish to bluish. The more that the baby develops the stronger it seems to be. Every once in a while I see burst of gold and those bursts have become more frequent."

"How come you seem surprised by the gold? I thought that everyone has Gold sometimes?"

"Yes but not like this child. Right now it is giving out a lot of gold. The only people I have seen give off the pure gold that this baby is giving are Lissa and Oksana."

"Adrian, this baby is a Dhampir. Are you telling me that you think it can wield spirit?"

"I am not sure what this means. I do know that we have a very special person in here." He caressed my bump again. Then he moved down and spoke to it.

"Hello wee little Dhampir, we love you."

"It moved again!" The smile on Adrian's face was so happy and proud.

--

Our honeymoon was perfect but over so soon. Two week had been all that Adrian could convince me to take; I wanted to get back to Lissa. She was going to be starting school soon and we still had to get ourselves situated in the house near court.

On the flight home I touched base with Lissa through our bond; she was glad that I was coming home soon. She had missed me. I told her about all the things we had seen; the little day trips we took to Sydney and Brisbane, the concert we saw at the Opera house. She told me that Abe had brought me some crates of old books; they would be waiting for me at the house. I told her how much I could not wait to play with Misty blue. We arranged to meet at the tarmac when our plane landed.

When I was done touching base with Lissa I settled down to watch some movies with Adrian. The flight was long and the plane had to make a few stopovers so he chose to watch all 3 original star wars movies. I would never have taken him for a Si Fi nut. Between movies we did some dreaming together.

We landed just before sundown.

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**I hope you liked it Please let me know what you thoght. I love to hear what you think will happen next. Some of you have come close.**

**What do you think that the Gold in the Baby's Aura means?**

**Please Review. Don't worry I talked to the green Button It will try not to bite you. **


	16. Ch 14 The Home on Cherry Hill

**Ok so this is my second post in one day... I could not help myself. This chapter is kind of setting the backdrop for chapters to come. I promise there will be some action in the next Chap**

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Chapter: 14 the Home on Cherry Hill

It was so nice to be going home. It was true that I had never physically been to the house we were moving into but Adrian had shown me around in our dream walks. When I was in Russia it was to the garden of this house he had brought me, and again while we were first dating. It was by the pond here he had told me I was expecting a baby and even when we had made love for the first time in a dream, it was here. The house on Cherry Hill had belonged to his grandmother. The queen had chosen to build court close to her niece. That is why the house had been so close to Court. When Adrian's mom had left his father she moved here. Nathan's mother knew that her son was not a nice man and she chose to take in her daughter in law rather than see them move away. Later when she died Adrian's Grandmother had willed the house to him.

I sat in the back seat of the car looking out of the window and holding my husband's hand. It was just after sundown. The Moroi day was just beginning. I was already missing the sun and using Human time. I had been hoping that Lissa would have been able to meet us but the Queen had called her. Unfortunately I had not been able to shake Abe's extra Guardians. They refused to leave till Abe himself told them they could go. If I was not so tired I might have seen the humor in this but instead I was a bit irritated. "Do you realize that when you count the Guardian Lissa sent to drive us home that you have five guardians here to protect you?"

"I think that Abe's are here to Guard you my love." He chuckled softly till he saw the look on my face. "Right now the only one I might need protection from is you."

"I'll call Abe in a little bit. First I just want to get home and take a shower." The trip from Australia to Pennsylvania was long. My body was stiff from travel and I felt stale from the air in the cabin.

We made a turn off onto a small lane. A few minutes later the house came into view. In reality it was not a house it was a modest sized mansion. With Lissa I have visited many such homes. I had always expected that Lissa and I would live in a fine home. In fact she owned several that she inherited from her family. The difference was that I was to be the lady of this house, not just one of the guardians employed here. It wasn't an idea I wasn't used to yet. Adrian gave my hand a little squeeze.

"We're home."

"Home is anywhere you and Lissa are."

He got out of the car first then offered me his hand. I knew what was coming next. "You're not going to carry me over the threshold again are you?"

"Of course I am. That is another part of the job, for the rest of our lives every time we move to a new place, I will carry through the door."

I gave a sigh and an exaggerated resigned look. Then I held out my arms for him. I did not want to admit it but I liked the fact that Adrian was a cheesy romantic. He lifted me and carried me from the foot of the stairs to the inside of the door.

"I have to attend to some things. You know the way to our room I think that you will find your things are already put away for you." He kissed the top of my head and left in the direction of the kitchen. I walked up the staircase to the third floor. Our room was the on the back side of the house overlooking the pond. As expected all my things from the apartment were put away and the picture of Dimitri and I was set on my nightstand next to the box with the rose necklace.

I picked the frame up. I traced my hand over him. "I am happy. After you left me I never thought I could be, but I am. It's going to be real hard to juggle everything but I am going to have a lot of help. You were right about me and my mom being too much alike. As it turns out I have a lot of my father in me to. I wonder how much of you this baby will have. A lot I hope. Adrian is your brother, why didn't you ever tell me. I guess that it was something you didn't want to think about. I am going to find a way to save you and when I do, I hope you can forgive me for moving forward." I set the frame down and went to freshen up.

After a shower I decided to take a quick nap. I must have fallen into a deeper sleep than I had planned. When I woke up Adrian was snuggled up behind me. His hand was in its usual position on my belly. I could feel the fluttery movements of the baby. I laced my fingers with his and he began to wake up.  
"Hello sunshine. When did you sneak into bed with me?"

"Oh, about ten seconds after I saw you sleeping."

"I have a lot to do today. I have to get together with Lissa, Mom and Eddie; we need to get our schedules coordinated. I still have to explain to Lissa and Eddie that there may be a way to turn Dimitri and ask her for help doing research. I have to start looking though the books that Abe left for me." I pressed our hands over my bump. "When he comes for me I want to be ready. I have to be able to protect our baby and keep him from doing something he would regret."

Lissa arrived for lunch with Mom and Eddie. I could tell even without our bond that she had had a rough morning with the queen. Misty Blue mewed at me from the kitty carrier that Eddie held. He set it down and opened it as soon as he had entered the house. She raced out and ran to me, she didn't even wait for me to pick her up she ran straight up my pant leg I caught her before she could claw into my thin shirt.

"Wow she has grown so much in just two weeks!" I snuggled up to her. She purred loudly and she began to kneed my shoulder

During lunch Lissa opened up about the queen. "She wants me to stay at court. She said that if you took your responsibility as my guardian seriously then you would not have been selfish enough to get married. What a cow! Like you are supposed to not have any life of your own whatsoever."

"What are you going to do?" I looked over at Adrian; I would hate to have to live separately from him. If I had to then I would just have to find a way to spend off time with him. Off time was something I never wanted to have before. "Lissa, I guess I could spend my nights off here. That way I could stay with you most of the time."

"There is no way I am going to let that medusa use me to keep you away from your husband. I told her that though I appreciate the offer I was not going to insult Adrian's hospitality by turning down his offer." She gave a little smile. "I threatened to run away again."

"What! Lissa there is a Strigoi out there who has it in for me. He would know that hurting you would be worse than killing me! You have to stay safe within the Moroi where we have a lot of guardians to keep you safe."

"Rose, it was only a bluff. Lissa told the queen that she was not afraid to leave Court and move into one of the houses her family owned. That you and Adrian would move in with her and she could live her life as she wanted." Mom's voice was soothing.

"You should have seen it. The Queen was so flustered; she really wanted to be able to use this as some kind of wedge between you and Adrian. You would have been proud of her Rose. She handled herself so well that the queen didn't know what hit her. Lissa had her convinced that the only way for the Queen to keep her around was to let her live here with you." Eddie was practically laughing at the memory.

"Yeah Lissa can be quite 'compelling' when she wants something." I gave her a sidewise glance. She looked down at her plate. Adrian gave a little cough, I knew he understood my statement more than Mom or Eddie would.

I knew that I had to broach the subject of using spirit to turn Dimitri back into a Dhampir. I couldn't wait any longer. "Lissa I have to tell you something and I don't know where to start." She looked at me with curiosity; this only made me feel guiltier for keeping it from her. Adrian took my hand and squeezed it.

"When I was in Russia I heard of a Moroi, a spirit wielder who turned a Strigoi back into a Dhampir." Her eyes grew wide.

"Why didn't you tell me? I know that I had said before; that it wasn't my place to choose who lived or died but after you left I realized that for you I should have said yes. I'll help you we have to find the…"

"No Lissa we can't." I interrupted her thought. "He was Victor Dashkov's brother. I have already tried to bribe any info I could from Victor, he won't tell me anything unless I get him out of prison." She looked horrified. "All the books that Abe brought me were reference books on Spirit. I want to find a way around Victor. I refuse to let him out. I have to try to find a way to save Dimitri if I can."

I opened myself to her fully. She was mulling over everything I had told her. She had no doubts about helping me. She was afraid that she might have to face Victor eventually. _"I won't let him near you. If I have to face him I will do it without you. Lissa, Dimitri is going to come for me. I can sometimes feel him it is not going to be much longer before he does. If we have to, my mother will kill him, but I really don't want to kill my baby's father if I there is any way I can save him." _

She nodded. "I will help in any way I can."

"Thank you. We might need some help. Abe sent me about a hundred books so far and he is looking for more. Some of them are in Russian and Romanian."

Nicolai, one of Abe's guardians spoke up. "Ivan and I can help. He is fluent in Romanian and we are Russian so that is no problem." Great and I thought I was going to be able to get rid of these guys. Reality was that I needed their help and also as much as I hated to admit it, Lissa and Adrian would be safer with more Guardians around.

"Thank you Nicolai, Ivan, I welcome any help I can get."

Thank goodness our home was as big as it was. Grandmother Ivashkov had lots of family and friends whom she always wanted to feel welcome. We allowed each guest to choose a room to suit them. For the baby I chose the room closest to ours. Lissa chose a room on the second floor and Eddie and Mom chose rooms on the same floor. The rest of the guardians chose to reside on the first floor.

School would start in a few more weeks. We used this time to get ourselves situated into the house. We spent many hours in the library reading through book after book. Ivan and Nicolai proved to be indispensable with translating. Lissa suggested that we ask Christian to come help us. He had decided to take a year before collage and was available. I think she missed having him near and wanted an excuse to bring him here. I wanted her to be happy and so I made a call to him. He seemed eager for an excuse to be near her too. Maybe they will get together again, I really hope they do.

It was decided that I was to take the lead guardian position when escorting Lissa to school. Around home we would take turns guarding the grounds after sundown. (I had noticed that Ivan and Nicolai often felt the need for a walk whenever it was my turn to patrol) It had not been hard to get the wards moved to cover our property as well, since the Queen's nephew took up residency in this house. Though Strigoi could not pass through a ward I knew too well that a ward could be broken or weakened I did not want to take a chance on letting our guard down.

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**I love to hear your feedback. I often write back to those who write to me even if they write to complain about something. **

**What do you think about Ivan and Nicolai? They are Rose's unoffical Guardians.**

**Do you think that Lissa Did use compulsion on the Queen?**

**What will Happen when Christian comes?**

**Please press the Green Botton wait the botton isnt Green any more. well Press it and find out what Color it is.**


	17. Ch 15 Company

**I would like to thank every one who has reviewed. I like to reply to every one unfortunatly if you are not signed in I can not reply but I want you to know that I apreciate every review.**

**I don't own VA but that which is mine I share with you.**

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**Chapter 15: Company**

The week before Lissa was to start school she wanted to go shopping. We went to the mall and I was near guard while the others were far. It was fun helping her choose cute outfits but like the time we had gone to Missoula with Natalie and Victor Dashkov, she grew frustrated that I could'nt shop with her.

We passed a maternity shop along the way. I was already almost six months along. Up till this last week I had not shown too much. Now it was quite obvious that I was expecting. She looked at me wistfully. I knew that she wished that she could help me shop too. If the truth be told, I needed to do some shopping. The clothing Adrian had gotten months ago was not all maternity clothing. The goal at the time was to get clothing that would hide my pregnancy and allow for some comfort. The pants I had were starting to get a little snug around the waist. The Guardian uniform that Dimitri had provided me for Victor's trial didn't fit. The pants pinched my waist; the shirt was too tight around the bust and the same for the blazer. Even My shoes were getting tight. Adrian had mentioned several times already that I should go see Lily or have her over to the house. My main focus had been reading through the books looking for something helpful, l that I had kept putting it off. Through the bond I could feel sadness from her.

"Rose you need to shop to, I can feel it."

"You know I can't let my guard down. I will ask Adrian to set something up with Lily for me."

"Ok but can I come along with you? I want to be able to be friends too. Sometimes this whole thing feels like you have to babysit me. I miss just being your friend."

I simply nodded my head. I missed the easy friendship we had before we had to 'grow up.' We went to a few more stores before she called it quits. It was late evening in the human world when we left the mall and the shops were closing up. The parking lot was dark; the only cars left belonged to mall employees. The moment we stepped outside I felt it. My stomach knotted up with a familiar feeling of nausea and my skin felt all prickly.

Into my ear piece I called "Guys we got company!" As I instantly got into a defensive stance. Mom and Eddie quickly came in to help me protect Lissa from all sides. We were close to the car but not there yet. From a short distance away I saw the movement of someone edging closer. I handed Lissa the keys.  
"Get in and lock the doors. If you have to, drive off without us but get yourself the hell out of here!"

Within moments we were surrounded by five Strigoi. Eddie was the first to launch an attack at the nearest Strigoi, it was the largest. Janine and I simultaneously took on the other smaller ones. Through my peripheral vision I saw that Lissa had made it to the car. I made a round house kick that knocked one of my Strigoi into one of Janine's she used the moment of surprise to stake him.

The one I had kicked was up and running towards me. My other one was getting ready to kick me I grabbed hold of her leg and used it to launch her into the one that was charging me. When He tripped I was able to use my stake in a slashing motion this would not kill him but had stunned him enough for me to get the chance to stake him in the heart.

The female was a much better fighter. She got a few good hits to my face and arms. I blocked most of her kicks. But she got a good kick at my leg and sent me flying into a parked car. She tried to jump up and body slam me into the car but I put my feet up and managed to kick her off mid slam. She recovered quickly. I got up and stood on the hood I sent a kick to her face and as she fell back I jumped and landed on her torso. My stake slid into her chest. Eddie was helping Janine with the last one. He slashed his stake across its eyes then she used hers to finish him.

I looked back at Lissa. I had forced myself to keep my mental blocks up from the moment I had felt the Stigoi. I knew her fear would pull me into her and I needed to be in my body for the fight. Now I needed to be able to keep my guardian face on till everything was handled. She looked terrified.

"Janine could you make the call to the Alchemists, right now Lissa need's me?" She pulled out her phone as I walked to the car. Lissa opened the door and grabbed hold of me. She began to cry in my arms.

"It's Ok Lissa, your safe now. We got them all there aren't any more around." She was crying so hard it was hard for her to form words.

"You! You could have been hurt. She kicked you I saw it. What about the baby."

I could not believe that for the moment I had forgotten all about being pregnant. I analyzed the fight in my mind, thinking over every hit I had taken. The kick had hit my thigh, every punch had hit my upper torso but I had hit the car with my whole back pretty hard.

Before I had finished with the mental recap she had her hands on me. She placed her hand on my bump and immediately I felt the hot, cold and hot sensation I could imagine the beautiful feelings emanating from Lissa as she healed any injury to the baby. Then I could feel it move though my body. When she was through healing me she asked me to stay with her in the car.

We waited till the alchemist showed up. He was an older man who though he was very polite he seemed to be just as uncomfortable around us as Sydney had been. He put a drop of potion on each body and waited for the smoke to consume each one.

I stepped out of the car and thanked him before we all left. I knew he would do the dirty work of covering any evidence of the fight. I wondered how he would get the security tapes from the mall.

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**OK so here are a few a questions for you.**

** How is Adrian going to handle this? **

** What do you think is going through Lissa's mind.**

**Please tell me what is going through your mind. Press the yellow botton. **

ps. I hear that the green button has been taken away because it bit too many people. :(


	18. Ch16,17 More Questions Than Answers

**Here is a long Chapter for you. I added chapter16 and 17 together sit back and enjoy.**

**My usual Disclamer stands. **

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**Chapter: 16 More Questions than Answers**

We drove home in silence. Lissa healed Mom and Eddie while I drove.

As we drove up to the house I could see Adrian waiting on the porch. He had an anxious look on his face. He was not alone. Ivan, Nicolai and Arthur were there too. I put the car in park and he ran to my door, opening it before I could even turn the car off. The other Guardians went to help Mom, Eddie and Lissa out of the car. I was feeling irritable, Lissa had used spirit when she herself was not feeling strong and I tried to help her by taking the shadows from her. I was also irritable because I could tell that this was going to be a point of contention between me and Adrian. I looked at his loving face, so full of concern. I understood his side of things, I really did but I wished he understood my side of things.

He held me in his arms. "Sydney called me just now. She told me what happened." I simply nodded wearily. "Rose, you didn't stay out of it did you?"

"I'm ok, just a few bumps and bruises but Lissa fixed us all up." I felt him tense up.

"This is not a light scrimmage between guardians, this was a real battle. You have to think about the baby." His face went from concern to anger. "You can't just act like a teenager and go do reckless things without thinking."

I could see that he felt I had been careless but I know how to fight. It is what I had been trained to do from as early as I could remember.

"Good God Adrian, I am pregnant not dying! Pregnant guardians have continued to work till the last month for as long as we have been guardians. That is what I am you know, a Guardian. That means that I guard people. It is what I was born and raised to do." His pale face went red.

I couldn't stand having this argument in front of everyone. I couldn't stand arguing with Adrian at all. I ran off. I could hear footsteps behind me; it only made me run faster. I ran to the dock of the pond and sat at the end. The footsteps slowed to a stop nearby and did not come too close. I glanced to the side and saw Nicolai standing guard just far enough to give me privacy. Great, now I am a Guardian who has her own Guardians.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I had to calm myself. Part of me understood why he was so upset, fighting a Strigoi is probably the most dangerous thing I could do. I just wish he could understand that even if I had not been there as Lissa's Guardian, I would still have fought against the Strigoi. I have to stop them. I sat on the dock for a while I could guess what was happening in the house but instead I entered Lissa's head. I knew she could not feel me in her head because I had been working on blocking her from my feelings. She needed to be able to deal with her own emotions without having mine to deal with. Mostly I just didn't need her knowing how my sex life was going.

Just like I thought, they were talking about me. Adrian was pacing back and forth, he was agitated. I had never seen him this angry. With my natural temper and the added hormones I think our marriage is safer if I stay out here.

"What the hell was she thinking? She could have gotten both herself and our baby killed."

Mom put her hand on his shoulder. Her voice was soft.

"She was thinking like a Guardian. From the time a Dhampir starts school they are told 'They Come First.' Any Moroi life is worth dying for."

Adrian gave her an incredulous look. I knew he had heard the mantra before it was something he did not agree with in the first place. But it was like he was really hearing it for the first time.

"Janine that is the sickest thing I have heard in my whole life. How could she think that her life or that of our child is any less important? I love Lissa too but surely you and Eddie could have handled things without her. She is a mother and she should act like one"

I could feel that Lissa was wracked with guilt.

"I could have lost my best friend or caused her to lose her child. Any of you could have died because of me. I wish she would quit and just be my friend.

Eddie had been listening to the conversation he was looking outside and I knew that from his vantage point, he was looking at me.

"None of you understand. Being a Guardian is more than a career to her, it is what she IS. Yeah we are all taught that Moroi lives come before our own. Even if Lissa had not been there, she still would have done the same thing. Even if none of the rest us had been there and she was alone she would have fought."

He turned to face the room's occupants. Thankfully they were stunned by his statement and did not interrupt him.

"She knows more than any of us what Strigoi are. She knows what it is like to be held captive. When we were held in Spokane it did something to us, it changed us. She was further changed by everything that happened to her after the attack on the school. She has told you most of the things that happened to her in Russia. All of these experiences have done more to change her than being shadow kissed and bound to Lissa did."

He looked back at me for a moment and gave a sigh. When he turned back there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. I knew that he understood, at least a little.

"She is more Guardian than any of us. She's special and there are things she can do that none of us would ever have even imagined."

Adrian was looking at him with a mix of confusion and suspicion.

"How do you know so much about my wife?"

"That's simple. First of all we have the shared experience of Spokane. Then there is the fact that I made a promise to Mason that I would watch out for her. I pay attention to the little things. And the biggest reason is that she and I are friends. Our relationship is just a simple friendship. She has confided in me the things that she does not want to burden you all with. You are all too close to her." He pointed at Adrian, Lissa and my mom.

"Adrian you are her husband and she knows how much you worry about her and the baby."

"You are her bond mate and she worries too much about you, sometimes she feels it is better to keep things from you."

"Janine, the two of you never had an easy relationship but now she understands you so much better. She knows how much you love her and worry over her. Like with Adrian she doesn't want to give you more cause for concern."

"It can be difficult to see the little things when she hides them from you." He shrugged his shoulders.

"What are we not seeing? Are we missing something important?" Mom's voice was so sad and concerned. I know she felt hurt that I had not confided in her.

"To be honest I didn't catch on to most of it till after she confided in me back in may. After that I started to pay even closer attention. There are the things that are common knowledge to her family and close friends.

She is shadow kissed

She is Spirit Bound to Lissa

Last year she saw ghosts while on the plane.

Then there are some things that only Dimitri knew.  
She could communicate with one of the ghost; it was Mason's ghost that warned her about the attack.

She can to some extant control the ability to use the ghosts as a weapon.

Dimitri and Christian and Adrian knew that she could feel when a Strigoi is near."

He looked back through the window.

"I have to talk to her before I tell you of the things I know and suspect. I think some of it might be a bit of a surprise even to her. If you will all excuse me?"

He walked out of the house. I left Lissa and came fully back to myself. I could hear his soft footsteps as he approached the dock. He spoke t Nicolai. Then I heard Nicolai walk away.

"So O Great Observant one, what new insight do you have for me?"

"I knew you would be listening. Guess I don't blame you, I would if I could too." He chuckled softly.

"Since this morning I have been expecting Lissa to fire me for my own good. Adrian has been trying for months to convince me to take a few years off so that I could be a full time mother like his. I felt like no one understands the guardian in me. Dimitri knew and he was just as dedicated, it was one of the things that brought us together. Thank you for standing up for me, and I forgive you for spilling the beans."

"Rose about my observations, I was serious, you can do some really freaky shit and some of it I don't think you even realize." I gave him a curious look.

"I have seen you make plants grow. It's not instantaneous like what Lissa and Adrian can do, it's more subtle. The bulbs you and Lissa planted the day after we moved in, they were sprouting the next day. My mom has a garden and I know that plants don't grow that fast. They should have taken over a week to get to the point they were after a day. The only way for them to grow faster is if Lissa made them." He paused to gather his thoughts.

"You can heal too. Again it is subtle. Remember last week when I got that nasty bruise on my side from sparring with Ivan and Nicolai. You put an ice pack on it for me. Even with the ice it should have been nasty and painful for days but by the next day it was halfway gone and by the day after that it was completely gone.

I have seen you out here when we are on Guard. You sometimes step out of the wards and talk to the ghosts. It looks like in the past few weeks you have gained a lot of control over your ability to see and talk to them."

I had stayed quiet. I was surprised by the things he told me. I have never had a garden before. I really had no clue that my beautiful flowers should not have grown exactly as they did. I also had not thought twice about Eddie's bruise. Guardians get bruised up all the time. We ice it am move on. The fact that he saw me talking to the ghosts was not so much of a surprise. I had not been as careful when I was on watch with him as when I was with the other Guardians.

"I have been asking the ghosts to keep tabs on Dimitri. The ones who are former Strigoi who were once Guardians have been helpful. They're able to find him relatively easily."

"Rose there is more."

"You're kidding me right?"

"No Rose I have a few more 'observations'."

"You have been able to control the bond between you and Lissa. She is not bitching about being able to 'feel' it when you're intimate with Adrian. Nor is she complaining about your mood swings affecting her." Again he chuckled. "It's nice not to hear her whine about it anymore."

"If she only knew what she put me through last year, she really has no room to bitch about me. I don't think she realizes that I can go to her without her knowledge. She would have been mad at me for listening tonight."

Misty Blue came running down the dock. She nearly skidded into the pond but I caught her just before she went over the edge. I snuggled her to my chest and scratched her fur.

"That kitten of yours, she really loves you. I mean she likes every one even all the Dhampirs, but I have seen how much she makes you feel good when you are down. She seeks you out when you are upset, even if she has to escape from the house to do it. I think she's bonded to you. I think that you added some of your special whatever it is, when you channeled Lissa and Adrian's healing spirit to save her."

"I did. I was trying to send her all the love that she never got in her short life. I was feeling very protective and maternal towards her even thought I never liked cats before."

I thought about Misty Blue, she had more than a calming effect on me.

"When I feel overwhelmed by the shadows from Lissa and Adrian,….. 'Oh there is another one; somehow I have been able to pull the shadows and craziness from Adrian."

Well Misty seems to pull the worst of the shadows from me. I think she uses its energy in her manic kitty crazies and then she takes a long nap. She is always fine afterwards. In fact she seems to do that to some degree for everyone"

"I hadn't picked up on that yet. As for taking the shadows from Adrian that one slipped by me too but now that you mention it I think your right." He was thoughtful for a moment.

"Thank you again Eddie. I am glad I confided in you, it has been very helpful. I am lucky to have a friend like you." I smiled a wicked little smile at him. "You know I am observant with my friends too, Mia would be lucky to have a guy like you. I think you should make a move." He blushed and gave me a mock punch in the arm.

**Chapter: 17 Accepting things, the good and the bad**

Adrian was the only one in the room when we entered the house.

"Hey Rose, I think I should call Mia about lunch. I think your hubby needs to talk to you." Eddie walked out of the room. Adrian and I embraced.

"I am so sorry I flipped out on you like that. I don't like that you are so willing to jump into a fight but at the same time it is one of the things I love about you. You're so protective and loving." He held me close and I leaned myself into his chest. It was only 10pm mid morning for us. It had already been an extremely long day for me already.

"I have a lot to tell you, there really is some crazy stuff happening with me right now. But I am so tired. Will you join me for a nap and maybe a 'walk'?"

We climbed up the stairs hand in hand. Once in our room he guided me into the bathroom.

"You must have fought hard. You are filthy." I looked at the mirror. My hair was falling loose from the twist I had it in. I had dirt and oil all over me from the pavement. You could see the shoe mark on my leg where I had been kicked. Worse you could see smudge marks on my face where I had taken a few hits. Thankfully Lissa had healed me before he could see the bruises. He turned the shower on and adjusted the temp. He kissed me as he undressed me. We did not talk with words but his eyes and actions said so much. Every place that had a smudge or had any evidence of a hit was kissed tenderly. He gently released my hair from the twist and ran his fingers though. His hands were careful as he washed me down, rubbing gentle circles on my body with the sea sponge. He oiled my body with moisturizing oil blended especially for expecting mothers.

Once I was clean and dry we went to the bed. I was so relaxed from the heat of the shower and the gentle massage but mostly from his love. I fell asleep instantly in his arms. In our dream walk I told him about all the things that Eddie and I had discussed. He found it all fascinating, and when he took a good look at my aura he realized that there was hardly any shadows any more. He held me and in our dream walk we fell asleep.

I awoke from our nap first. The baby was very active, almost as if to assure me that the fight earlier had done no harm. Adrian and I had fallen asleep embracing each other with our legs intertwined. I snuggled closer to him. He was still asleep but automatically responded by pulling me closer still. I lay there as still as I could with my bare belly pressed firmly to his. A few moments later his eyes popped open. He wore a look of wonder on his face. He pressed me a little closer. This had been the first time that he ever felt the baby move.

"Is that our baby? Wow what a fighter, it's already taking after mom." He shook his head as he laughed.

"Ah hah." I giggled and nodded my head. In this moment I felt complete happiness. Adrian the baby and I were a family. For the first time I really understood that Adrian was just as much the father of this baby as Dimitri possibly even more so.

--

Lissa's POV

I went out to sit on the dock. I was miserable. I couldn't find a way out of this situation. This morning had taught me the reality of the Guardian / Guarded relationship. It really sucked. My best friend was fully willing to die for me. She is bringing a baby into this world and instead of running to the car with me she fought. I couldn't take my eyes off of her when they were fighting. I watched every kick and hit. She is a good fighter, but she still got knocked around a bit before killing two of the five Stigoi. I was beside myself when she got kicked into that car.

How could I be more important to her than her baby? This baby was a living link to the man she had loved so much but couldn't have. I was the reason that they were not supposed to be together. From what Rose told me, Dimitri had worked things out. He was going to give up being my Guardian and transfer to court so that they could be together. Now he is gone and this baby is all she has left. How could I be more important than that?

Sometimes I just really miss our friendship. The way it was when we were on our own. I have wondered if she would be willing to go into hiding again but because Dimitri has fed from her he will be drawn to her. We are all safer off within Moroi society where there are more Guardians and wards. I wanted to just hang out and shop with her earlier. Now that I am not all jealous that she has a life, I want to be part of it with her. We can't just hang out unless we are behind wards and surrounded by other Guardians, and even then it is not proper for her to let go and just be my friend.

She is looking for me; I could feel her inside my head. She must be done with Adrian, those two are like bunnies, I swear. Thank God that I am not feeling it anymore. I think she has learned to block me. Damn I wish I could have been able to block her last year. I never realized how much it probably hurt her to feel my happiness and everything 'ells' when her life was going so wrong. She is letting me feel her now. Wow she is really happy almost euphoric. I continue staring out at the moon reflecting off the water as she sits next to me.

"You're sure happy for someone who was just arguing with your husband." She absentmindedly rubbed her bump.

"You know he can't be mad at me for long." She smiled. My God I always thought she was beautiful but now bump and all she was gorgeous. I always wished that I could have looked more like her.

"Yeah he can't keep his hands off you for long ether. Thank you for keeping it to yourself. I am guessing that is one of the new talents that Eddie was mentioning?"

She nodded. I watched her sitting there so happy, rubbing her baby. Knowing that she could give it all up to save me; made me hate myself. Why won't she quit. Why won't she just be wife, mother, and friend? She doesn't need the money. The Queen had decided not to fight Adrian, she let them marry and let him keep his inheritance. Her father set up a substantial trust fund for her so even without Adrian's money she is rich. I could feel her listen to my thoughts.

"Lissa, there is no way I can quit. Yes you could fire me. It would make Queen Tatiana happy, but I would still be a Guardian. I just wouldn't be with you."

"I know. It's just that I hated to see you risk your life and that of your baby for me."

She played with her chotki. Though our bond I could feel raw honesty. Her walls were completely down so I tuned in to her feelings.

"Liss, I didn't do it for you. I mean that, yes my main goal was your safety at the moment but Eddie was right. Even if you had not been there I would still have fought."

There was anguish in her heart.

"Most Stigoi used to be good people. Their souls are still good but they are trapped. They are bound to their bodies but no longer connected. Could you imagine watching yourself turn into something so evil? Strigoi are practically compelled to hurt their former family and friends. The Strigoi lives for the pain that they cause others. The soul suffers with every act. Killing them releases the soul. Most are so wracked with regret for the deeds done by the Strigoi that they refuse forgiveness. Even still they are happier and more at piece once the body is stopped."

Dimitri. She is thinking of him and what his soul must be suffering. Oh God, she suffers for him. Tears began to flow from my eyes.

"That is Horrible. I could not have imagined that kind of pain. Rose I am so sorry, I had no clue that is what he is going though."

Oh she must have forgotten that she was letting me feel her emotions. She wiped her face and took a deep breath. Within a moment her Guardian mask was up and so were her walls. She was so much like her mother, so strong and yet so vulnerable.

"How did you know what they are going though?"

"You're going to think I am nuts." She gave a little chuckle and imitating the little boy from the movie The Sixth Sense, she said. "I see dead people."

I gave her a little shove and she shoved me back.

"Really I have been talking with the ghosts. It was really hard at first because they can feel that I have been to the other side, that I have been dead too. They are curious and that is why they attacked me on the plane. I think the baby has something to do with the change. Adrian says that the baby has a very strong aura. I think that because the baby is life, it balances out the fact that I wield death. Anyway, I have been working on it since I got back to the school. I would go to the gate with Alberta and go past the wards. It took a while but finally I was able to have a conversation with them. I can hear them now. Some of them are helping me. Dimitri is spying on me but I am also spying on him. The ghosts who were Guardians when they were turned are the most helpful."

I couldn't believe all this. She really had been holding out on us. She must have felt so alone in all this.

"What ells can you do?" Just then her stomach gave a very loud growl. She patted her belly and stood up.

"I bet I could eat a whole cow. Let's go feed this kid so it'll stop kicking me." I reached over and she took my hand and put it over her bump. Sure enough there was a thump and then another.

"Wow, does that hurt?" I could not imagine how something like that would feel. Christian and I were trying to work things out but we were just starting to see each other again. Even if things work out it will be a long time till I am ready to have a baby. Then again Rose hadn't been ready ether.

"It feels weird, and when it kicks my bladder it is really not comfortable but other than that it doesn't hurt."

She kept my hand on her belly as we walked back to the house.

"Liss I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and Sasha is going to do another ultra sound. I would like you and my mom to be there. We are going to try to see if the baby is a boy or a girl. After that I am going to do some shopping at the little mall there at court. It would be safe enough for us to shop together there."

"Really, I would love to go! I have been wanting some girl time with you for so long."

"Me to." She smiled back at me as we walked back into the house together.

"There you are. Mia arrived five minutes ago. She and Eddie are in the dining room already with everyone else. I was about to go look for you." Adrian encircled her waist with one arm and led us into the dining room.

We had a nice lunch together. Rose and Adrian had an informal household. There was no distinction between Moroi and Guardians. We ate together except for whichever Guardians were on duty at the time. Sometimes Rose would be one of the guardians out on patrol. I really was happy. Living like this, instead of how it would have been if things would have gone the way we planned. If rose had not fallen in love with and married Adrian, we would be living at court and she would have to act like a guardian all the time. If we had decided not to live at court she would have had to be on guard all the time for my safety. There were things that we couldn't do like shop at a regular mall together. I realized that things didn't work out so bad for me, but more important things worked out well for Rose too. Of course it still would have been nice if she had not lost Dimitri but I knew that she was truly happy with Adrian.

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**What do you guys think about Eddie's Observations?**

**What do you think it will mean for Rose?**

**What did you like best?**

Let me know your thoughts. If I am able to reply to your reviews I will.

Snowgoose


	19. Ch18 Good News

**Ok Theresa this Chapter is for you. I know that you have been waiting for this. Thank you for biting me and makining me a Vamp Like you. your an awsom Niece.**

**To all my Readers I LOVE YOU ALL! **

**I give the usual disclamer. I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you?**

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Chapter 18: Good News

Rose's POV

I was nervous; Adrian and I had gone back and forth on whether or not we should find out the gender of the baby. Last month even though we didn't want to know Sasha tried to get a peek but the baby had its legs crossed and in the way. She tried poking it a bit but it wouldn't budge. This time we decided that we should find out; so that we know what kind of clothes and toys to buy. I am 25 weeks along now. (23 really but the first 2 weeks are the ones between my last period and conception.) School will be starting up next week so I wanted to get the appointment over with.

We also had a few other reasons to go to court today. I was going to go shopping with Mom and Lissa, but the most important reason was that we were going to officially tell Queen Tatiana that we were expecting a baby. We suspected that she knew but she had stayed out of our business so far. I am afraid that she is going to flip. Less than 2 months previous to my night in the cabin with Dimitri I swore up and down that I was not involved with Adrian. It was true. Now I need her to believe that very shortly after that we started to go out. I know she is going to call me a tramp. I hope she doesn't take her anger at me out on Lissa, mom or Adrian.

We stopped for some fruit smoothies before the visit. I wanted to have a little sugar in hopes that it might make the baby more active. Mid way through my exam I could feel it moving a bit more than usual. After I was prepped for the Ultrasound Sasha let my family in. Once every one was crowded into the small room Sasha said.

"Just so you all know I record the Ultra sound images along with an audio recording of what is said in the room. These are kept in your patient files, if you would like I can make extra copies so you can show to the relatives later."

"That would be a wonderful idea. The whole Belakov family would be able to share this with us." I knew that he was thinking of Dimitri. If I am ever able to find the way and turn him we could be able to share this with him.

She pressed the probe to my belly. The room filled with the swooshing beat of my baby's heart. She measured its growth.

"Good the baby has grown a lot. It is now at the size I would like it to be. Huh little one does not want to show us if it is a she or a he." She poked at my side a few times and the baby moved her hand out as if to block her.

"Janine try poking right here while I poke the other side." This time the baby moved her hands and feet. "Yes! We got a Girl. I think she has a lot of both her mother and her father's moves already."

"She is so beautiful, Olena will be proud. I know I am." My mom was beaming at me.

"Wow I can't believe that little person is growing in you right now." Lissa was amazed.

Sasha asked. "What are you going to name her?"

"I have always liked the names Theresa and Hannah. What do you think Adrian?"

"I like Theresa and Marie. How about Theresa Marie B. Ivashkov?" I smiled at him

"It's perfect."

--

Adrian's POV

I walked the ladies to Lily's shop. I hated to leave her but this was girl time. She kisses me and I held her a moment longer. It is amazing how important she is too me. In less than a year she has become my world. I let her go and wish her happy shopping. Her mother and Lissa follow her in. She glances back at me and I know she wishes to be with me to. I wave to her and walk away.

Could it have been less than a year ago that I lived my life not knowing her? I had heard her name a time or two. She had taken the last Dragomir away from the Academy and it took 2 years for the Guardians to find them. My Aunt had been furious about it. I didn't pay much attention to politics or really anything of any significance. Back then my life was about drowning myself in a bottle. Living with the effects of wielding spirit was so hard I did not know what to do. I was depressed and would have bouts of craziness. I had constant headaches from looking at every one's auras all day. Meeting Rose had changed my life. She is so selfless and kind. When I decided that I wanted to be a better man so that I could be someone who deserved her, I knew I was making the best choice I had made in my life.

I don't even want to know where my life would be if I had never met her, loved her and won her heart. We came so close to never having met.

_Flashback_

I thought about the day that I had an impromptu reading with Rhonda. I had been hanging around Aunt Tatiana's suite. I was in the living room when Rhonda left Tatiana's study. The moment she saw me she said.

"You need to have a reading. I have much to tell you." The serious look on her face made me laugh.

"I barely believe in God anymore and you think I am going to buy whatever bullshit you are selling?"

She was un-phased by my behavior. She sat down on the sofa and pulled out her cards. I poured out another double. I was not drunk enough to have blocked her aura. I could tell that she was not like me. She did not have a gold aura but she had more golden sparks than most people. I could also tell that she really believed what she was saying. For lack of better entertainment I sat on a chair across from her. I followed her instructions and cut the cards when she told me to.

"You are destined to find two rare jewels. The first will be the one who you will love from the moment you see her. She will captivate you in every way but she will belong to another. You will be the one who must help her. She will be the key to changing our world for the better. She will be yours for a while though she will always belong to the other as well."

"So you are telling me I am going to fall head over hills for someone else's chick? I got to help her change our world. She will cheat on her guy with me. When she gets the guiltys she will go back to him and I am supposed go with it. Pardon me while I go search for the cheating super slut right now." I drank down my vodka, and got another. Rhonda continued with her reading as if I was really interested.

"The other will be like you. She is what you have been searching for. Follow your father for the Holidays. The two Jewels will be at the same place as he."

"What makes you think I would be interested in going anywhere with my father?"

"I only know that my guides tell me. You Lord Ivashkov will want to meet these girls. They will bring meaning to your otherwise purposeless life." I was left quite shocked. I had never had anyone talk to me that way. She gathered her cards and purse then she walked out the doors.

When the Christmas holidays grew near my curiosity got the best of me. I found out that my father was going to go to the ski lodge and I decided that skiing seemed like a good way to spend the holiday. I made arrangements to be there a little earlier than my father and was already there when the news of the Badica family murder broke. I almost left to come back to court when the decision was made to open the Lodge for the students of St Vladimir. I stayed out of curiosity. I was hoping to find the second jewel the one who was like me. What I had found was so much more.

_End Flashback_

I decided to go to see Rhonda. I went to her office which was not far from Sasha's practice. I was in luck she had time to see me. When I entered the room she took my hands and sat me down. She closed her eyes and I could feel her pulling my energy, it felt like she psychically tasted it. A myriad of emotions played on her face. I listened to the cryptic things she told me; they were both wonderful and troubling. For me it was the latter of the two that concerned me most. I would have a choice to make and I hoped that I would have the strength to choose the right path.

By the time I left her office I was trembling. So many conflicting emotions flashed thought my mind. I wished I could get drunk but I knew that no matter the temptation I would not and could not do it. Instead I went to the chapel and prayed for the first time in years. I prayed for the strength to follow that path that I now saw ahead of me. I vowed to myself that I would never let Rose know the pain in my heart. God must have granted my prayer; though I still felt pain and sadness I felt a sense of peace as well.

--

Janine's POV

I never knew that shopping could be so much fun. I always purchase my clothing online or in catalogues. I had guarded Moroi on shopping trips but as Lissa had pointed out 'that just sucked so much." Lily had some really nice things prepared just for rose. Many of them had been her personal creations. Adrian had given Lily a few guidelines. Surprisingly he took into account that she is a Guardian and could at any moment find herself in a fight. The styles had to be comfortable; non restrictive, have some way to conceal at least a stake and possibly a gun as well and above all they had to be beautiful.

Lily brought out something even I had never seen before. She called it a belly supporter. It looked like the kind of stretchy adjustable back support people use when they strain their backs. The purposes of this thing were to ad support under the belly to and reduce pressure on her back. There was another purpose that Adrian had come up with: it had a pocket sewn onto the curve of her back, when worn with more loose fitting shirts Rose could conceal an extra stake within easy reach.

"Adrian insisted that you be able to pack as much 'heat' as possible." Lily chuckled as she showed Rose how to put it on.

Adrian never ceased to amaze me. He was always thinking of Rose. Even though he did not want her to continue to be a guardian, he supported her in every way none the less. He was always looking for ways to protect her and show her he loved her. He even made sure to tell Lily to make a maternity uniform and one for after, something she could nurse in.

"Janine, Adrian has a few surprises in store for you too." She brought out a rack of clothing. "The guidelines for you were similar. They had to be comfortable. You have to be able to fight in any outfit. Weapon friendly was one of the ways he described my guidelines He said that you are modest but he thought Rose would like to see you in something a little more feminine."

I was shocked; all the things I tried on were a perfect fit.

"How did you know my size?"

"That is simple; I measured you for Rose's wedding. It has only been two months and since you are a guardian you stay in shape."

"Rose I can't accept this. It's too much."

"Mom you can't refuse you would hurt his feelings. Besides Abe is coming for an extended visit and he might want to take you out."

"All right, I will accept them." I looked at the silk dress I was wearing. It had some pink trim but not so much that it felt too girly. It was feminine and soft. I tried a round house kick with no problem. This brought a giggle from the girls.

We chose clothes to wear out and asked that she send the rest to the house. We stopped at the shoe store then met with Adrian for lunch.

--

Rose POV

All during Lunch Adrian touched me. His lower leg was resting against mine. Any chance he got to touch my arm or hand, he did. He even touched my face and kissed me several times. I wondered what had caused the extra burst of intimacy but whatever it was I didn't mind. Sometimes I felt like I could not get enough of Adrian. I get a lot of teasing from Lissa about it; she says that we are like bunnies. The fact that he can Dream walk has meant that both during dreams and waking hours, we have been able to enjoy our love.

Once lunch was done I gave a sigh; it was time to go visit the queen. I leaned into Adrian. I looked over at my mother.  
"What do you think, mom are we ready?"  
"As ready as we ever will be."

Adrian stood up and pulled my chair for me. He took my hand and kissed it.

"I can't wait to tell her we are going to have a baby." He smiled at me and tenderly.

We laced our hands together and walked with my mother and Lissa taking the lead. Once in the reception area, Adrian addressed the Guardian at the desk.

"We have an appointment with my Aunt. Could you let her highness know that we are here?"

The guardian stepped into her study and returned within a minute.

"She will see you know." He ushered us in, there was a table with a tea pot and cups. He poured tea out for Lissa, then me and my mother last. Adrian he offered a class of Vodka.

"I would like a cup of tea as well."

The queen was sitting in her chair quietly sipping her tea and glaring at me. Adrian pretended he didn't see her glare and opted to act as if our visit was completely commonplace.

"Hello Auntie, how have you been?" He took a sip of his tea and smiled at her sweetly.

"I am doing well. How are you and your wife?"

She usually refused to acknowledge my existence. Even the handful of times that I have come with Lissa she never spoke to me or of me.

"Auntie, we are doing very well. In fact we have come to tell you some very happy news."

"Somehow I do believe that I would choose a different word than happy."

I put my guardian face on. I could tell she was about to attack me and my baby.

"How far along are you? Surely you are much farther than two months."

"You're Highness I am five and a half months. The baby is due mid December."

"So when I asked you if you were involved with my nephew you lied to me."

"Auntie I assure you that she did not consent to date me till after the trial.

She ignored Adrian and continued to question me.

"Did you cheat on my Nephew? I have heard that you had relations with Jessie Zeklos."

"I would never sleep with him. He and his friend Ralf are the vilest creatures on this earth. Adrian owns every part of my heart that is mine to give. I assure you that I love your nephew so completely and that this child was created in a moment of such pure love that you could never comprehend it."

I tried to phrase my thoughts so that I was completely honest without revealing the fact that I was pregnant before I ever even considered dating Adrian.

"I know for a fact that this child will have Ivashkov blood running in her veins." Adrian and Dimitri both share the same father so that was also the truth.

"You're Highness; I know how you feel about me. I know how you feel about our marriage. You can be a part of our lives or not. This baby is coming with or without your approval. Out of respect to you, because you are Adrian's Aunt, we wanted to share our news with you."

Adrian stood up and gave her a kiss on her cheek. She said nothing to him.

"See you auntie."

We all walked out. The drive home was very quiet. Adrian really loves his Aunt. I know part of him was really hoping that she would be happy for us.

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**Well I hope you liked it. **

**What Do you think of the Baby's name?**  
**What do you think is up with Adrian?**  
**Do you think that Queen Tatiana will ever learn to act like a human being?**

**Let me know what you think. Please Review.**


	20. Ch19 The Outside World

**I hope you like this Chapter. as always That which is Rachael Meads is borrowed but that which is mine I offer to you.**

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**Chapter 19: The Outside World**

Adrian and I snuggled a little closer together under the blanket, looking up t the stars. I loved it out here by the pond. This was one of my favorite places to make love with him. I laid my head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat. Somewhere in the distance I heard an alarm beeping.

"2:00pm already?"

Adrian held me a little tighter and kissed the top of my head before the dream faded away. I opened my eyes and saw that we were roughly in the same position as we had been in our dream walk. His arms tightened around me. I knew he was waking up.

"I was just about to get another second wind before that thing disturbed us."

I pulled away to look at him. He was so sexy and even though we had already had more than enough fun for one night I had a hard time resisting him.

"Another second wind? Sorry I am seriously in danger of making Liss late for her first day of school." I kissed him and then I did the impossible. I pulled myself away from him. "It's really early, go back to sleep"

I took my clothes with me to the bathroom. I felt so much better after a hot shower, so much more awake and ready to deal with this day. I dressed in my new maternity Jeans and a slightly flowing blouse that I could use with the belly supporter to hide my stake. I took a minute to apply some makeup before pinning my hair up. I fully expected Adrian to be sleeping soundly when I went through the bedroom but he was gone and the bed looked made.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to get some cereal for breakfast. When I was close I could hear Adrian talking to someone. I walked in and saw him at the stove moving scrambled eggs around a pan. Helen our cook was at the counter cutting fruit. She had a medium sized cooler next to her.

"Helen, Adrian, you should both be in bed." Helen shook her head at me.

"Not a chance we are going to sleep through this morning. We both wanted to make sure you all got a good breakfast and lunch. Princess Lissa needs to fuel her brain so she can learn and her guardians must be sharp. Lady Ivashkov you need good food for your baby. I will not stand for you to eat cafeteria food." Helen was not much older than Janine but she was very motherly and took care of everyone in our home as if we were her children.

"Thank you Helen, as usual you are right."

Mom, Lissa, and Eddie soon entered the kitchen. Adrian served us all a plate of bacon and eggs with a multigrain toast that I love. He kissed me as he put the plate in front of me.

"Any chance I can convince you to stay home with me?" He looked sad and worried. He knew that it was no good. I would go out today no matter what. I understood his concern. We had not been away from the wards since the day that we had encountered the pack of Stigoi outside of the mall. He also knew that Dimitri would know where Lissa would be today, where I would be today. I placed my hand on my belly and looked him in the eye.

"I have to go but I promise you I will be careful. I won't fight if I can reasonably stay out of it."

He kissed me again and nodded. He turned and helped Helen with the food for the cooler. I knew that he was trying not to think of the danger I might be walking into today.

-- --

Lissa POV

The first week of college was almost over I really loved it but today I could not wait for my last class to be over. Christian was arriving tonight. He was going to be staying with us at the House on Cherry Hill. We have been talking on the phone every day, at least a few hours. We still were stuck in the friend zone, but the tone of our conversations has been changing. I know he misses me physically as much as I miss him. Well maybe not quite as much. Rose tries to keep me out of her head during intimate moments but sometimes her control is not perfect especially when she is dreaming. During the day Rose and Adrian are just so much in love that sometimes it is hard to watch. Damn I guess you could say that I am feeling a bit pent up.

Rose looks like she is ready for a weekend too. She is so cute pregnant, her belly is really starting to grow. She tries not to show it but I can tell that she gets tired. Standing around in classes you have no interest in has to be hard enough but to do it while being six months pregnant that must be really hard. Next semester she is going to be on maternity leave I think I am going to double up on my class load then. That way I can get as many of my classes out of the way before she comes back to work. Over next summer we can take some classes she will like. I glanced at the clock, 9:45 pm. Just five more minutes till class is over.

"_Ready to go home Rose, I am. I can't wait till I see Christian."_

"_I am so ready. It's going to be so nice this weekend. I miss Christian and his smartass attitude. I hope that you guys make up and start being a couple again. I'd like to see you happy and in love again."_

"_I have been happy. I like living with you. I think everything worked out much better than we had planned."_

The professor gave us our assignment and dismissed us. As we left the building I saw Rose tense up.

"Hurry up to the car we have company."

She had one hand on her hip inches away from her stake. Janine and Eddie followed suit. We were surrounded by human students. They couldn't just whip out weapons in front of humans unless we were under attack. As we hurried along she started to talk to herself, or at least that is what it looked like.

"How many are there?... Yes I can feel it now… How far away? …. Are you sure? …. Thank you."

Into her earpiece she said. "A ghost is telling me that it's Dimitri. He is alone, about 200 yards away and his intent is to spy on me. I don't think he is planning to attack." She paused for a heartbeat. "Let's get the hell out of here."

We practically sprinted to the car. She stayed by my side the whole time. As soon as she reached the car she turned the engine. Janine and Eddie had just seated and not had time to buckle before she had the car in gear and out of the lot. I could see that she was shaking. Her eyes were on the road with both hands on the wheel. Even without trying I could feel how tumultuous her emotions were. Rose pulled the car over as soon as we were behind the wards. She leaned her head back and began to sob, both her hands held protectively over her belly. I opened up to her but the power of her emotions made me cry. I leaned over and held her.  
Eddie and Janine reached over the seat to touch her shoulders.

"You make the right decision, it's ok."

"Rose, sweetie, we were not ready to face him yet. Running was the only choice for you and the baby."

Janine's voice was calm and soothing. Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I could feel her gather all her strength and get control. Suddenly I was cut from her emotions. When she opened her eyes her Guardian mask was up. She put the car in gear and drove home in silence.

-- -- --

Rose POV

As soon as I got home I went to Adrian's office and told him what had happened. I still had my walls up but he tried to comfort me anyway. I pulled out of his embrace. I knew that my action must have hurt him, but I just could not deal with my emotions yet.

"I need to spend some time in the library; if I had known what to do maybe we could have had this taken care of already."

He held my hand and searched my face; I could feel my mask waver momentarily. It had been just long enough for him to glimpse the pain I was hiding.

"OK" There was sadness in his eyes. He wanted to help me and the fact that I was not allowing it hurt him deeply. Right now I had nothing left to give him. It took all my control not to breakdown.

I spent most of the rest of the day in the library skimming though books. After a while other members of my family came in to help. Adrian was the only one who did not come in, but I think he wanted to give me the time I needed to deal with my thoughts.

At one point Eddie looked up from the book he was reading. I could see through my periphery vision that he almost tried to talk to me but must have changed his mind. Instead he grabbed a pad of paper and wrote some notes.

"Eddie, did you find something useful?"

"No, just something I thought was interesting but it can wait till later." I just nodded and went back to the book in my hand.

-- -- --

Christian arrived just before dinner time. (If I was in a better mood I would have teased him about coming for the food but right now it would have come out as a real insult instead of our friendly banter.) He seemed to be happy to see all of us. I could tell he was about to comment on my not so cheerful face when Lissa gave him a quick look with a shake of head. Instead he hugged me and told me I looked beautiful. I thanked him but did not converse more than that. Helen stepped into the room and called us to dinner.

"If you all would excuse me I am not hungry, but please enjoy dinner and I will visit with you later."

I went to the practice room adjacent to the garage. Ivan followed me but stayed just inside the door. It was touching how much he and Nicolai protected me but it was annoying as all hell too. I chose one of the dummies and began beating on it. I alternated between punches and kicks. I was very involved in my exercise but I could still hear Adrian's footsteps as came onto the room. It occurred to me that I hadn't even known Adrian for a whole year. Hell at this point I still wouldn't have known Dimitri a year yet ether.

"Want to spar with me; Ivan and Nicolai have been working with me. You might be surprised at my progress."

I nodded and moved to the mat as he put some gloves on. When he joined me on the mat I got into a stance and he mirrored my stance. We didn't really spar, it was more like taking turns kicking and blocking or punching and blocking.

"Rose I think we should talk about this"

"I am not ready and I don't think you really need to hear what is going on in my head."

"Please Rose; you can't keep shutting me out. I am your husband, you are my wife. We are supposed to work things out together."

"You really want to know what is going on in here." I pointed to my head.

"Yes I do, even if it hurts to hear it."

I sat down on the mat with my legs crossed. "I am wondering how the hell I got here. I am 18, married to one man pregnant from another and I haven't known ether a whole year yet. I have to find some miracle in a hay stack to save him because I can't kill her father. (I pressed my hand over my belly.) I don't know what the hell I am going to do with him if I do save him, all of this, (I gestured around suggesting the property and house and at Adrian and I) is going to hurt him."

Just then Misty Blue came into the room and straight to me. I picked her up and began to cry. She rubbed against my face in a comforting way. Adrian sat next to me. I could see that though he was hurt about the things I said but he still wanted to know what was bothering me.

"This morning when I felt that a Stigoi was near, my first instinct was to find it and kill it. Something felt different, familiar. Then a ghost of someone I knew came to me. I asked her how many and she told me it was just one. That it was someone who owned part of my soul." I looked at Adrian. "I wish that when I married you I gave you all of me but part of me died with him. I have said that before but I thought I was being figurative, now I know it was true." He took my face in his hands.

"It is hard that so much has happened to you this year. I wish we could have had a normal courtship and taken our time to get to where we are. The thing is I think that God has something planned for you and all of the things you are going through are getting you ready for what you have to do. I will be here with you through it. I suspect that even though some things will hurt Dimitri but he will want to be here to support you too." I was mystified

"Are you telling me that if I can find a way to save him that Dimitri should live here?"

"Yes. I love Theresa Marie, to me she is my daughter but because I love her like my own I can imagine how I would feel if someone else were to be raising her, how I would feel if I couldn't be in her life."

"I have thought about that a lot. I was glad when you added the B to her name because I knew you meant for it to be Belakov Ivashkov."

"I know that it might be an adjustment for us but if we can find a way to save him and he is willing I want him to live here close to Theresa. I think that he and I can work through the difficulties and learn to be friends."

"You just say that because you already have me."

"Yes I do, and it is my job to take care of you and our little Dhampir. You have to eat something. You haven't eaten since you had a break between classes."

We brought Misty Blue back into the house with us. As soon as we got in she jumped out of my hands to do her kitty crazies. Poor thing probably pulled a lot of darkness away from me.

-- -- --

Sometime in the middle of my dreams with Adrian I got pulled out of myself and into Lissa. Christian was in Lissa's room and they were about to have a battle of their own.

"_Oh man! I am glad you guys made up. Now can I get back to my own fun?"_ Lissa stopped mid kiss. Christian gave her a look but she held her hand up to tell him to hold on a moment.

"_Oh Jeez I am sorry I will try to remember to put up a wall before we get frisky."_ A moment later I was back in my own head and in my dreams.

"Were did you go my Lil' Dhampir? I got worried because you were still asleep but I couldn't find you."

"Lissa and Christian are making up. I got sucked in." I made a face. Adrian laughed

"Glad to know you aren't into threesomes." I gave him a playful punch in the arm and ignited another battle between us.

-- -- --

At breakfast I asked Christian. "So Sparky, what was wrong with your room?" Lissa gave me a look.

"The room is fine but the bed squeaks"

"Oh no, I can't have that. You and Lissa might keep the whole house up with a squeaky bed. I guess you will have to move into her room."

"I was thinking the same thing." He gave Lissa a smile and she blushed. I was happy to have Christian here. Lissa was completely happy and I was glad that Liss would not have to be alone while I was happy with Adrian.

Helen came in with the mail and handed it to me. One thing caught my attention. It was a fat manila envelope marked with Roza and nothing ells. I nudged Adrian. He looked over and put his fork down. I opened the envelope Inside there were pictures of me all taken over the past week while guarding Lissa at school. In most of the pictures it was clear that I was more than a little pregnant. I had seen a human with a camera on campus but I had thought nothing of it. I took a deep breath, beside me Adrian was tense. His hand trembled as picked up one that had writing on it. There was an arrow pointing to my belly and a notation that Adrian read in a whisper.

"Who's your Daddy?"

"I am quitting school we are not going back there next week." Lissa looked horrified.

"No Liss, you are going back, he is just toying with us. I'll know when He is making plans to attack. I have ghosts watching him and … I can feel him a little."

I was not about to tell her that I knew he was making plans.

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**what did you guys think?  
**

**Why did Rose flip out so bad when she found out Dimitri himself was spying on her?  
What was in the book Eddie had?  
What made him look at Rose in a funny way?  
How do you think Rose is going to handle Dimitri?**

**Let me know what you think cus I love to hear what you think will happen next. and because I am a REVIEW HOG lol**


	21. Ch20 Legengary

**Congratulations to TJ You figured out what Eddie found! very very Awsome.**

**I want to thank all of my reviewers. The fact that you take the time to share your thoughts with me is absolutly awsome.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**

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**Legendary / the Past is Past**

After breakfast I went to the library to continue my research. Over the last few months I had learned a lot about spirit. Right now we were all spending a lot of our extra time in here researching so Lissa and Adrian didn't have the time to dedicate to learning to do the things that we were learning about. I wish that they could explore spirit to their heart's content. It made them so happy to use spirit and now that Misty Blue helped me channel the shadows I don't worry about going crazy.

I had been alone for a while when Eddie came in.

"I really want to show you something. Can you take a moment?" I set the book aside

"Sure Eddie, what's up?"

"Yesterday I found something that sounds a hell of a lot like you." I cocked my head, I remembered him making notes and looking at me a lot.

"What did you find?" He picked up a very old looking book.

"This is the journal of a spirit wielder who lived in the late 16 hundreds. She lived in Ireland and had a shadow kissed friend. The friend became more than shadow kissed she became kind of like a Super Guardian. She had some interesting powers of her own. The Spirit wielder calls her a Wielder of Life and Death."

He looked at me and handed me the notes he made. The paper had a list of the powers of the Life Wielder. Some it was kind of cryptic in its wording. Next to each Eddie put a note to show how it related to me.

Taking from the land of the dead and giving life to that which she had taken. (Rose's Cat)

Bringing forth life in the fields she worked. The abundance of which grew with great hast. (The Flowers)

She was a Healer of Wounds. (My Bruise)

She had a great gift for communication. Without words she spoke with those she loved. (You and Lissa, but it sounds like there is more to it. Keep a look out)

The dead where in communion with her. (Rose is working with the Ghosts to spy on Dimitri)

She had understanding with the animals. (Keep an eye out for that one)

She could feel the presence of Strigoi and could seek them out. (Seen that one in action)

Stigoi are drawn to her. (That is not good, but remains to be seen)

She entered into the dreams of others. (Have to ask about that one.)

She took the shadows from her bondmate and from others who wield spirit. (Rose said she has been taking Adrian's shadows now too.)

I frowned as I read this. I had to admit that most of these things sounded like the things I have begun to do. What did all this mean? Could it help me find the way to save Dimitri?

"Eddie could you read that book carefully look for anything you think might be able to help."

I took the paper with the notes; I wanted to talk this over with Adrian. I also had something ells that I needed to tell him. I knocked on his office door.

"Come in."

"Hi love, I need to talk with you about a couple of things." He wrapped me in his arms and sat me on his lap.

"By the look on your face it is serious."

"Some of it is. Some is interesting but more or less insignificant right now."

"Give me the fluff first so we can spend more time on the serious." I handed him the paper.

"Eddie found a book that describes some of the stuff I can do. It is a description of a Wielder of Life and Death. I don't know what it will mean in the long run but it might give us some answers. " He read through the list and looked at me with a smile.

"I always knew that you were something special." He gave me a kiss then asked. "What is the more serious issue?"

"I went for a walk beyond the wards this morning. I spoke to the ghost who told me about Dimitri. I knew her in life; she used to be a teacher and a spirit wielder at the Academy. She turned Strigoi on purpose to escape the effects of Spirit. She told me that Dimitri is making plans for an attack. I haven't found a way to save him yet but I think I may have a way to stall him for a while."

----

Janine's POV

I was feeling anxious and nervous. Abe was going to stay here for a while. He and Rose wanted to get to know each other better. Roses Promise ceremony had been the first time I had seen him since I had broken off our engagement. We had stayed in touch over the years, mostly just to give him updates on Rose. I had so much regret over my decisions.

I still had feelings for him. I had never even dated anyone after him. I understand how rose felt about Dimitri, she had once said that she would always love him but that the love she had for him could not grow or change. My love for Abraham Mazur was still what it had been 19 years ago. I had been very much like my Rose when I was young. I was beautiful; men looked at me everywhere I went. I had my share of making out with novice and Moroi boys during my academy days. I was the best in my class. After my graduation I was assigned to David Amaducci. He was best friends with Abe, the two were inseparable. David could see the attraction between Abe and I. He was such a match maker. He made a date with some Dhampir girl out to dinner and a move. We were not going to be within the security of wards and Moroi society; since I was his guardian I had to accompany him. He asked Abe to pretend to be my date so that I would not look too conspicuous. Soon Abe was asking me out and David was the one who had to get a date so that I could go out and Guard at the same time. When Abe proposed David was ecstatic for us.

Queen Tatiana had a habit of matchmaking herself. She liked to match her younger family members with high ranking or very wealthy Moroi. Abe is from a wealthy family and he was already making good money of his own. This caught the eye of Miss Queen Bitch herself. She had a Second niece who was just about ready to marry off. The fact that Abe and I were already engaged did not matter to her. She tried first to get him interested in her niece. Then she resorted to making my life hell. She made treats about my career. She threatened to smear Abraham's reputation. Then she had me taken from David and reassigned to some other Moroi. Not long after that David had been attacked by a single Strigoi. The Guardian he had was not paying attention till it was too late. David was dead. I gave up my belief in God that day.

David had been my best friend and confidante. Losing him had been the final straw. I broke off my engagement. I didn't know till a few weeks later that I was carrying Rose. When I had informed Abe about our baby, he begged me to come back. I was afraid of what Tatiana might do to hurt me or those I loved if I did. I allowed Abe to give me child support and to make a trust fund for her, but I asked him not to visit her. I didn't want Queen Bitch to have any reason to take revenge on my daughter. Because of my stubbornness and fear Rose never met her father till he came to her aid in Russia. She did not know who he was till she came home wearing his scarf.

He had refused to marry the queen's niece and so she did try to slander his name. He now has a reputation of being a mobster. In truth he is just a smart businessman but his bad rep has done more good for his finances than the queen would have liked. Unfortunately Rose believes his bad rep.

It's hard sometimes being here with Rose. I still remember her as the sweet little girl I left in the administration building when she was just 4 ½ years old. When I told the my new Moroi that I was pregnant I half expected him to send me off to live with my cousins in the Blood whore colony, Instead he had me guard his children till my Rose was old enough for school. I chose St Vladimir in America because I had an acquaintance working there. Alberta Petrov had just been assigned there as leader of the Guardians. She promised me that she would watch out for my little girl. She wrote me often and told me of her progress, and the trouble she caused. Many of her exploits reminded me of myself. I was afraid to leave my Moroi so I only visited Rose every year or two. From the first visit she did not treat me like her mommy. To her I was the cold woman who abandoned her. She would refuse any gift I sent or brought. Eventually I gave up. When I had heard of the car accident I was beside myself. I tried to visit after but she avoided me. I was furious that she ran away with Lissa, I thought she was being careless and irresponsible. When she was returned to the school I tried to connect with her but she was just so much like me that we had trouble. We could not even have a civil conversation. I think Dimitri had been the person most instrumental in my attempts to reconnect with her. She told me how she would talk to him about it sometimes. He would try to help her understand me.

Now that she is going to be a mother herself she needs me. I want nothing more than to be able to help her and show her the love I have always felt for her. We do get along now and we are close but still I wonder what our relationship would have been if I could have been strong like her. If I could have stood up to Queen Bitch like she and Adrian did. Would she have had to go thought all of those bad things if she had been able to confide in me.

I was sitting on the porch swing, lost in thought when a limo pulled up.

"My precious flower, why are you so sad." I looked up and Abe was standing next to me. I smiled up at him. It had been years since I had heard my special nick name.

"I was just thinking about the past."

"The past is over. The future is a better place to be." He sat with me.

"How is the little flower of our love?" This was the nick name he had given our baby. That was the reason I named her Rosemarie.

"Physically she is doing well; her baby is growing so much. She is getting very worried about the child's father. She told all the Guardians that he is planning to attack soon. She still has not found the way to turn him back. She asked that we not tell Lissa, Christian or Mia."

"I brought her more books. This time I lived up to my reputation." I looked at him suspiciously.

"Abraham Mazur, what did you do?" He gave me a mischievous smile.

"I did only what my daughter asked of me. She asked me to beg borrow and steal any books on spirit that I could find."

"Oh Abe, who did you steal from. I hope we won't have royal guardians knocking down the doors."

"No I took them from the empty house of Viktor Dashkov. Since he won't tell her the solution than maybe his books and journals will."

"She already calls you Zmay, do you need to feed into it?" He smiled at me.

"She also calls me Dad." I gave him a hug. He kissed my cheek. Then he kissed my lips so softly.

My heart began to beat wildly. Could he possibly still feel for me the way he once did.

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So now we know that Rose is more than an ordinary shadow kissed Guardian.

What Roll do you think that being a Wielder of life and death will play in her future?

how do you think she will stall Dimitri till she can find the way to save him?

Will the books that Abe brough from Viktors house have the answers?

Do you think that Abe and Janine will get back together?

Sorry about the pop quizzes I guess it is the teacher in me. But I think it is great when you guys write me your answers; sometimes you guys are close sometimes not. but ether way I love the things you guys come up with.

Please pass your answers to the front by pressing the yellow botton

Suzanna


	22. Chapter 22

**You guys are Great. I love the reviews. You all get an A+ **

**I hope you like this chapter I have put a lot of thought into it. **

**I will not be posting again till possably sunday night April 11,2010. I am in california so that would be Pacific standerd time. I am going Camping and won't have access. I will miss you all so much. Please show the love and give me lots of reviews to come home to.**

Oh and the disclamer stands. I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

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**Chapter 21: Preparing For Battle.**

We had all been working over time, reading though the books that my father had brought with him. If I knew where the hell they were keeping Viktor Dashkov I would be tempted to visit his ass just so I could personally make good with that treat that Dimitri had once made to him. I so wanted to kill his childish, pathetic ass. There were lots of books on spirit and even his and Roberts Personal Journals, but there were a lot of missing pages. The Journals were especially lacking.

Their was one Journal that made me so mad that I wanted to stake him. Lissa and I were the subject of the journal. He had lissa and I watched very carefully. He was also watching Ms Carp to see if she might be able to heal him. He cronicaled every time Lissa and Ms Carp used spirit. I remembered how poor Ms Carp acted paranoid like she was being watched. between the Spirit Madness and the Paranoia the poor woman was so crazed that she went Stigoi just to get away from her magic. I hated him for doing that to her.

I had called my family to the table for a meeting. "I need to tell everyone that I have information from the ghosts." I took a deep breath. My hand had been rubbing my belly, as if I was trying to reassure my baby. "Dimitri is planning an attack. I believe it will be sometime around the Thanksgiving Holiday but it could happen sooner. Lissa, Christian I need for you to stay at court from November 1st till then after he attack, Dad you too please. Adrian I wish you would stay with them."

"There is no way on this green earth that I will leave your side." We had already had this argument a few times.

"Rose I am not leaving you ether."

"Liss please don't take this the wrong way but I need you to be in a safe location so that I can concentrate on what I will have to do." She looked so hurt.

"_Liss I love you so much, the first thing he might do is try to hurt you. I just can't let that happen."_

She nodded and looked down.

"Now I know that you guys are not going to like this but I have to go back to conditioning myself. I am getting out of shape and he is counting on it. He knows that I will be very big by Thanksgiving I will only be 3 weeks short of my due date. He knows it will be his best chance to get me." Adrian and I had a few arguments about this too.

"Ivan, Nicolai, Eddie, Arthur, Mom I need to begin Sparing with you guys and don't hold back. Look for my vulnerabilities and try to exploit them." I heard everyone at the table minus Adrian gasp.

"Rose, the baby!"

"We can't let you do this. I won't put you and the baby in danger like that." My mom sounded insulted that I was asking for this.

"Mom if I get hurt Adrian is here and he can heal me. If Lissa feels that I am hurt she can heal me too. I need to not be so vulnerable. If he gets me then mine and the baby's lives are forfeit anyway. I would rather risk us trying to prepare than be helpless."

I let them know about the rest of my plans. Lissa looked so worried and scared. She was leaning into Christian, she did not cry out loud but I could see tears roll down her face

I had a job for each of my Moroi family members. Though I knew that each of them had problems with the idea of me facing Dimitri but I could feel deep down that this is what I needed to do.

I had a little over 2 months left to prepare. I have a lot of work to do.

---

Sasha was not happy with me right now. Adrian had asked her to check on me daily to monitor me and the baby. She did not like the fact that I was pushing myself so hard. She tried to reason with me for a while but after a few arguments she admitted that she understood my point but that she was very concerned.

The guardians including my mother at least understood my reasoning a bit more but I could tell that none of them liked sparring with me. Thankfully they were respectful enough to fight with me as I asked. I was not used to being knocked around like I used to. At first Adrian and Lissa were at my side often. The funny thing is once they saw what a marshmallow I had become they started to get tougher on me. I think it downed on them that if I could not fight with a Guardian, then how was I supposed to stand up to a Guardian god turned Strigoi. After about a month I was better at defending myself. I was now able to go on the offensive but I still had a lot more to go. I would not run my laps outside for fear that his spy's might see me. Instead I ran on a tread mill. I did however go out in Just after sunrise with other guardians to talk to the ghosts. I wanted a daily report on Dimitri's activities.

I insisted that Lissa continue school Mom Eddie and Arthur went with her. I wanted Dimitri to think that I was on bed rest or something of the like. On the first of November all the Moroi, save Adrian moved to court. My mom and Eddie went with them. Abe had left me 2 more guardians. I wanted to protest but I accepted, he wanted me to be as safe as possible and since I was not willing to go into hiding he insisted. I am so lonely without them. I had grown so used to having a House full of family.

Nicolai, Ivan, Johannes and Alan are always vigilant. They also took my conditioning very seriously. Since my Moroi defense class Adrian had been keeping up with training with the guardians. I did not want him to fight but I knew that I would not be able to stop him. He has gotten very good for a Moroi. The guardians are hard on him and he would have it no other way. I am still worried for his safety but not as much as I would be if Lissa where to be present during the attack.

Adrian and I decided to rent a little cottage in the nearby mountains. We knew that since Dimitri would seek me out anywhere we would rather him not invade our home. He arranged to have wards put up before we go there. I had the rest of my plan ready. Now it was a matter of waiting till thanksgiving.

About a week later I got a call from Olena. She and I spoke every few weeks so I was not surprised to get a call from her.

"Hi Olena how is the family?"

"We are all good. How are you and yours? We have been worried about you."

"Everyone here is doing well. Just getting geared up for the Holidays, we have Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. You should see me I am as big as a house!"

"That Last month is the hardest sometimes. I wanted to let you know that we will be coming earlier than planned." Shit how do I tell her no?

"Ah Olena, that is not a good Idea. The first of December would be best."

"Yeva said you need us now. Rose what is going on that you don't want to tell Me.?"

"Everything is fine it's just that we have such a full house right now. Christian and Abe have come and Abe has so many guardians with him." God I hope she buys this.

"Rose, I know you're holding something back. Don't lie to me."

"Do you know how much you sound like him right now? He always knew when I was not being fully truthful with him." I sniffed and wiped away the tear that ran down my cheek.

"Where did you think he learned it? We will be there on November 17th. I need to know what is going on."

I knew that I could not hold things back from her. I didn't want his family here. What if my plan doesn't work? Yeva knows that something is up and I know that their coming anyway. Maybe if they know what's going on they can help.

"Olena Dimitri is planning an attack on me Thanksgiving. Don't ask how I know just trust me He has been planning this for over a month now. When you come I need you to stay at court, I think I know how we could use your help." I explained to her how we still did not know how to turn him back into himself yet. I explained the plan I have to stall him. She liked the idea and came up with a little twist that could help make my plan a little stronger. I really hope this works.

------

Rose's Journal

November 20th,

I have been stuck in this house without most of my family for twenty days already. I am miserable. I am so lonely here. I visited with Lissa though the bond but it is just not the same. I miss my family I really hope that I can see them soon. I wish I could celebrate Thanksgiving with them. Damn it Dimitri, Did you have to plan this now?

Adrian already has the cottage rented and everything is ready. I am in as good shape as I can be but still it is getting hard to move. My belly gets in the way so much. Sparring has become very difficult. Running is not easy ether. Dimitri is smart to come for me right now. I am really getting scarred, how am, I supposed to protect my baby if I can't fight. Right now Adrian is fighting better than me, well not quite but almost.

Well things will be over soon. Just four more days till Thanksgiving, we will leave for the cottage on Wednesday. I wonder what it will feel like to see him again. I miss him so much but I remember what he was like as a Strigoi. I don't know if I can handle seeing him like that again.

Adrian POV

My little Dhampir is so unhappy. I cannot bear to see her like this. She says that Dimitri is spying on her and she wants him to believe she is on bed rest. she will only take short walks to the wards and back at daybreak. She says that is the safest time because most humans stay up later after sun down than there are ones who are willing to get up before the sun comes up. I have to do something.

I went over to her and picked her up. She gave a little protest about being too heavy.

"Rose you have not gotten too heavy for me yet. You need some fresh air. Since you won't walk outside I will carry you out. "

I knew we would be just as safe on the porch as we would be inside. I carried her to one of the porch swings nearest the pond. I set her down and sat next to her. In the distance I saw Johannes walking the perimeter. He must have used his earpiece to tell the others that we were out here. A few minutes later Helen came out. She brought with her two mugs of hot chocolate, warm peanut butter brownies and a blanket.

"Thank you Helen that was very thoughtful of you." She smiled at us then went back into the house.

Ivan came out and stood guard a few yards away.

Rose and I ate our treat while we looked up at the stars. Well she did more looking at the stars than I did. I was busy looking at her. She is so wonderful, even with all the stress she is going through she worries and tries to take care of everyone she loves. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she is going over all our plans and preparations in her head. She is always going to need someone who will think of taking care of her as much as she takes care of everyone else. My beautiful Rose, she is so strong and yet so delicate. I pray everything goes right, if anything happens to her I will kill Belakov myself.

I could feel her wiggling around a bit, her back must hurt.

"Rose , sweetie do you want to stretch your back?" She gave a sigh and nodded her head. "Stand up I'll help." We both stood I bent down a bit and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I stood straight. She let her body weight hang for a few moments before she stood up supporting her own weight.

"Oh that feels better, thank you honey." I sat down sideways on the swing. She smiled at me and sat in front of me so that she could lean her back against me. She covered our legs and settled in. I rocked the swing from side to side. We both rubbed her belly as she began humming. I recognized the tune; it was You are my sunshine. She soon fell asleep in the peace of the moment. I smiled to myself. This is what I wanted to see for so long. She has not really relaxed for so long now. I closed my eyes and enjoyed this moment with her. I felt a little tickle in my mind; I focused on it and opened myself to it. I found myself lying out on a blanket next to our pond. It was sunny and warm. I didn't have any clothing on. I heard Rose giggle from the water.

"I was wondering when you were going to show yourself. How did you know that I wanted to skinny-dip?" I hadn't planned this. Could she have developed a new ability?

"Rose I didn't do this. I think you did." She came out of the water and walked up to me. It was hard to focus on the look of surprise on her face when I saw her body. Even in her last month of pregnancy she is breathtakingly gorgeous.

"How can we tell, could this be something someone did to us?"

"Rose, try to change something. Change the color of the blanket." She touched the blanket

"Green" the blanket changed from blue to green. She sucked in some air and looked at me.

"Wow Lil' Dhampir you have just learned how to Dream walk."

I took her into my arms and kissed her lightly. Soon our embrace heated and became more passionate.

"Swim with me."

She took my hand and led me into the water. She kissed me than swam off. I chased her and kissed her again before she swam away again. We played our game of kissing tag for a while before she became more interested in kissing me than playing. We had never made love in the water before. It was something that would not have been possible in the waking world. Not only because of the fear of bacteria in the water and her being pregnant but we didn't have this kind of privacy. There were so many people living in our home and even when others slept we had a guardian walking the perimeter at all times.

We lay out together for a while enjoying the sun's heat. Her stomach gave a loud growl.

"I guess it's time to feed the baby." She smiled and patted her belly. "Ah Adrian, how do I get us out of here?"

"It's only a dream remember, you just have to wake up?"

The dream faded and I opened my eyes. She was already sitting up looking at me. Her face was beaming. I felt so much love and pride for her. I pulled myself from behind her. I scooped her up and carried her into the kitchen.

Dimitri's POV

I had to see this house for myself. As I sit hear contemplating making an adjustment in my plans the door opens. That lowlife alcoholic is carrying her out. She must be week if she has to be carried. He sits next to her on the swing. How dare he touch her, she belongs to me. Someone has brought them some food and a blanket. I could just vomit the look like a Flipping Hallmark card. A Guardian passes but cannot see me on this side of the pond. There is another guardian just on the other side of the house. Ivashkov must have pulled strings with that bitch they call queen.

I watched as she stretched and they changed positions on the swing. My vision is excellent but I use the binoculars to get a better look at her face. She has fallen asleep and by the looks of it he is just about to. What a stupid fool. I wish I had brought a human to stake the wards. I could have taken the guardians before anyone knew what happened. Him I would kill instantly but her I am not sure yet. It's too bad that she has made so many enemies within the Strigoi. I would have like to awaken her, but surely one of my associates would killer eventually.

What is this? Her face, I wonder what she is dreaming of. She looks surprised. I watched as her expressions change. Soon her breathing began to quicken. I have seen that expression on her face once before. Adrian must be in her dreams. They both shuddered for a moment than a smile played on both faces. I can't belive I just saw what I think I just saw. I watched as she woke and sat up looking at him expectantly. Adrian woke a moment later and carried her into the house.

I think that when I capture her I will keep her long enough for to give birth. I will keep the child when it is older I will awaken it. As for her I will make her mine again before I take her life into me. How glorious it will feel the press my lips to her neck and feel her life drain away, her sweet blood flowing into me.

I will see you soon my Roza.

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**I will ask no questions today. Please let me know what you think. also if you have a question for me I will try to answer it. I do like to keep some sectrets but I will give details or clarify things things if you ask me.**

**I will see you all on the 11th and have a good weekend. Starting Monday I am back at work. I miss my class Yes even my little trouble makers. **

**Suzanna**


	23. Ch 22 Bruia

**Hello every one, I am back. I slept under the stars and fought off biting flies. I almost steped on a HUGE snake, and I saw so many beautiful flowers. you would be amaized how beautiful the desert is. There is one thing I saw that will be put into my story in a few more chapters.. **

**Thank you for all the Reviews. I hope you Like this chapter. **

**Bruia**

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Chapter: 22

There was a slight change in my plans. I had intended for my family to be at court during Thanksgiving. I wanted them to be away from the fighting. Yeva insisted that most of my family go to the cottage with us. She said that if Dimitri realized that it was a trap he would run. My father promised me that his guardians would help keep everyone safe.

Just after sundown on Thursday morning we traveled the half hour to the cottage. I had to admit that the place was beautiful and big enough to squeeze everyone in. We opted to have the guardians stationed inside rather than patrolling the perimeter. Mom, Helen, Olena, Viktoria, and Karolena all worked hard in the kitchen preparing food that we may not even get the chance to eat. Sonya and Yeva stayed back at court to take care of Paul and the babies. Lissa and Adrian stayed with me to try to calm my nerves.

At 3 am Helen called us all to the table. At first I was very quiet but I was soon caught up in the joy of having my family close. Then the storm struck.

My stomach clenched and I gave out a cry. In my mind I thought (There Here!) Everyone in the house tensed. Adrian and Ivan came to protect me, I saw that Christian and Eddie and Mom surrounded Lissa. Within a moment the sound of windows breaking and doors being busted exploded in my ears. Everywhere guardians and Strigoi were engaged in battle. We were fairly evenly matched. To my surprise Abe was doing a good job of fighting as well. Helen was fighting a small young looking Strigoi; she kicked the girl in the stomach and then went for a low sweep to knock the girl off her feet. She pounced on her and staked her in a swift and clean blow. I knew Helen had been trained as a Guardian but that she was too gentle to be accepted after her qualifier. Part of my plan was to get separated from the others. I needed Dimitri alone without any of his minions Adrian ushered me into a bed room, a moment later Dimitri calmly walked in.

"Hello my dear. It has been a while since you have seen me. I have been seeing quite a bit of you. I must say that you look delicious."

He lunged for me and I dodged but just barely. Adrian kicked but Dimitri blocked it. Dimitri went for a blow to my head but I dodged and managed a good kick to his leg. He stumbled for a moment and then He saw it. On my neck I wore the Rose necklace that Viktor Dashkov had given me. Dimitri stopped n his tracks.

"Why are you wearing that?" His voice was hard and cold.

"I am wearing it because it is mine."

"You are mine and you should not wear that for him."

He lunged towards me and this time I did not dodge. Instead I went low and plunged my stake into his leg. I could feel the charms from the stake take effect on him immediately. I pushed the button and pulled my stake from him. He stumbled and ended up sitting on the bed. He was still clearly Strigoi but I could see him, my Dimitri was there too.

"Roza?" His voice as faint and confused.

"Dimitri do you remember what is happening?"

"Yes I was turned. I have been waiting to kill you. When you staked me something changed."

"You are still Strigoi, but I have been looking for a way to change you. I won't kill you if I can help it. This is a special stake. It has been charmed not as a weapon but as a healing tool. I injected a ball of charmed sliver into you."

Adrian stood behind me but stayed quiet so that Dimitri and I could talk.

"Roza, you're having a baby, can I ask?"

"Yes Dimitri. That is why I cannot kill you. I grew up without my father and I don't want that for her."

Dimitri looked up at Adrian. There was sadness in his eyes.

"You are married now. You have Adrian to help you." This time Adrian was the one to speak.

"Dimitri you and I both know how important a father is to his children. I love Rose and little Theresa but we know that she will need her father too. There are things that you have to teach her that I cannot. We have heard that it is possible to turn you back and we are searching for that answer. Till then we need you to hang on, try to keep hold of your soul."

"I have a Daughter?" I couldn't help but smile at him. Adrian spoke first.

"Yes we do. Her name is Theresa Marie Belakov Ivashkov."

"Dimitri, I don't know how long that Charms in the ball will last. It has charms of love and healing from the four elements, Spirit and something ells that is from me. I've also charmed two more things."

I took the necklace off and put it in his hand. Adrian took a band that looked like his wedding band from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Dimitri, this ring is for the man she should have been able to marry."

I placed the ring in his hand next to the necklace. The three of us looked at the charms for a few moments.

"When you feel that the struggle is too much put one of these on. They will help you. Dimitri please, for me and for Theresa, hang on."

"I must go. I will do my best for you Roza and for my child." He got up and climbed through the window. "Adrian thanks for taking care of them."

With that he was gone. We could still hear that there was noise coming from the other room.

Reluctantly I put my guardian mask on and we went back to the other room.

There were bodies strewn here and there. I couldn't stop to see who they were. Lissa and Chris were facing a huge man. I could see that Chris was tired, he threw one last fire ball at the man and it went whizzing by the man's head. It was just enough of a distraction. I lunged forward and plunged my stake into his heart. I took them both in my arms and held them. Less than a minute later the storm was over.

All the Stigoi were killed, on our side Abe lost one of his Guardians, a man named Jacob. Jacob had been with Abe since their Academy days. Arthur was injured but Adrian was at his side using spirit to heal him. Lissa began moving from person to person. Eddie came up to me, holding his arm.

"Rose I think it is fractured. Could you help?" I took his arm in my hands and closed my eyes. I had to let down my walls but I thought of all the wonderful things I could. I thought of how much I loved him as a friend and how much he meant to our family. I could feel that I had given him what he needed so I let go of his arm.

"Thank you Rose, the pain is gone and I am sure I will be at full strength in a few days."

I took my cell phone out and dialed the number for the Alchemists. I had told them ahead of time that I thought there would be an attack. They had someone waiting close by.

A half an hour later there was a knock at the door. Adrian moved the door to the side since it was broken off its hinges. Sydney was standing there looking as uncomfortable as ever.

"Sydney I thought you were in Russia." She looked over at Abe and said.

"Someone pulled some stings and got me reassigned closer to home. So where are the bodies?"

"Out in the back." I led her to the back yard where we had lined up the 15 Strigoi. She put a drop of potion on each body and waited to see that the smoke began to take effect before moving on to the next. One body did not react to the potion.

"Rose, this one is just stunned it's not dead." I moved forward. It was the one I had staked with my special charmed stake. Nicolai came forward with his stake and finished the job. She dropped another drop of potion and this time it began to smolder. When she was done she gave me a loose hug.

"I am glad to see you again."

"Sydney, please come over for Christmas." She nodded and walked out the door.

Special Guardians came to collect the body of Abe's fallen Guardian. After that we all went home. Jacob had no family so Abe arranged to have a funeral for him here.

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**Chapter: 23 ****In the Aftermath**

The next Day we went to court to help our family collect their things. I was so happy to be getting my family back. Without them The House on Cherry Hill felt just like it sounded like, a house not a home. We were in Christian and Lissa's suite when Adrian's cell phone rang. It was the warped tune of God Save the Queen. Adrian sighed loudly before he answered. He made his voice sound sweet.

"Hello Auntie. How are you this morning?.... We are helping the princess pack her things to come home…. Yes Auntie, we will be right there." With that he closed the phone.

"She wants to see us. Lissa this concerns you too so I suggest you join us though she did not request you come."

When Adrian, Lissa, Chris and I entered the reception area the Guardian on duty escorted us right into her study. We bowed to her and took our seats. This time there was no tea waiting for us. It was rare for her not to have a Guardian or three in the room, but it was just us.

"I have heard about your little drama yesterday. What makes you think that moving the princess back to your home would be a safe thing to do?"

"She will be safe because she will be with me." I looked the queen in the eye. "I am her Guardian."

"Guardian, you, your father has guardians watching out for you."

"I allow that because I know he worries and I welcome the additional help. However I am fully capable of protecting her."

The queen was just about to give me some snotty retort when I felt it. (Oh God there is one nearby.) I held my hand up in a signal to stay quiet. I stood and I could see that the others stood too. (I have to get them behind me) it was like they were listening to my instructions. They got behind me and I crouched in a defensive stance. I turned my body to the door that led to her guardian's office. I could see Christian getting ready to throw fire for me if need be. I felt as if things were going in slow motion. I planned my defense in my head. (If I could signal to Adrian to try to cover the queen I could cover Lissa.) He looked at me and gave me a nod. (Adrian can you guys hear me?) Again I got a nod this time from him and Chris. I could not see Liss but through the bond I heard her.

"_Rose we can here you just tell us what to do."_ I would have to process this later. My gut clenched tighter.

(There is more than one and they will be coming in a moment. Adrian, take Liss and cover her and the Queen. Chris I need your help.)

Adrian and Lissa ran to the Queen. Liss grabbed her and pulled her close behind Adrian. Meanwhile Adrian crouched in a perfect defensive stance. The door burst open and one of the queen's guardians ran, in behind him was a beautiful Moroi woman, I recognized her as the queen's secretary. They both had the red rings that told us they had turned. The man charged towards Adrian, I charged him and impacted him with my shoulder. He had not expected my impact and the surprise threw him off balance. I went low and kicked his legs out from under him. I nearly had him pinned when he flipped me over. I could see the bloodlust in his eyes. He was just about to break my neck when his head burst into flames. I took the chance to flip him back and stake him with my regular stake.

The female had been just watching our battle but once she saw that I killed her companion. She Charged me and I dodged. I knew that even though she did not have training she could still be deadly. We plaid charge and dodge a few times before I let her charge me and this time I used her own power to flip her. I pinned her down and held my stake at her heart.

(Chris, be ready.) I could hear Chris behind me and the sound of flame in his hands.

"Why did you come here? What were you after?" I used all the authority in my tone that I could muster. The woman struggled but I could hear Chris increase the size of his flame. I pushed my stake a little causing it to cut into her skin. She gave a cry.

"Answer me! What were you here for?"

"Gregory and I wanted to marry, but she forbids it. She threatened to fire us if we married. He got the idea that if we turned Strigoi and kill the queen we would be able to start out with a high ranking with the Strigoi. When he heard that the Princess was here also he decided to carry out his plan before she could leave."

"Are there any more Strigoi?" She shook her head no. Satisfied with her answer I plunged my stake.

I got up and turned back to the Queen. I was furious two lives wasted because she did not believe that Moroi and Dhampirs should marry. I was furious that she could think that Lissa could be safer here with her than with me.

Lissa ran to me. She could have healed me remotely but she felt better doing so with touch. She reached out to my baby. I had to admit that when the male had flipped me it had hurt and I was concerned for Theresa. I could not feel the wonderful feelings emanating from her because I had my Guardian mask fully in place.

(Chris can you get the Guardian from the reception aria, let him know what happened here?)

"Yes Rose." He walked to the door and exited.

Lissa was still sending me spirit, I welcomed it, and I allowed it to sooth me. I needed to be able to speak to the queen without wanting to kill her.

Adrian walked over and hugged me; he leaned down and spoke lovingly to Theresa. He stood with me facing Tatiana. Her face was ghost white, she slumped into her chair.

"Your Highness Lissa will stay with me. I can and will protect her. I am her Guardian." I looked at the bodies and pointed to them. "This is your doing. If you treated Dhampirs as people who deserve to be treated with equal respect this would not have happened. These two only wanted your blessing to marry. What is wrong with a marriage between a Dhampir and a Moroi, or between two Dhampirs for that matter?"

"Auntie, do you realize that if it were not for rose you would be dead right now? You refuse to let Moroi use magic to fight alongside guardians, yet it is just that kind of teamwork that saved you. You discourage Moroi from learning self defense and yet what I have learned from my wife and the guardians helped keep me and my family alive last night." He looked at the bodies and shook his head.

"Guardian Speers was a good guardian. It is sad that he went to such an extreme. I hope that this has taught you something."

The court guardians came rushing in with Christian. Lissa ran to him and began to sob into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. I was glad that she had him to comfort her. I am her best friend and bondmate but I know that sometimes a girl needs the arms of her lover. He kissed her and walked her out. Adrian wrapped his arms around me. I melted in his embrace. We walked out without another word to his Aunt.

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I hope you liked this. Please let me know.

PLEASE review.  
Suzanna


	24. Ch 24 Theresa

**Ok Weesa Its your turn to make your entrence. **

**I hope you like this chapter there is a lot going on here. **

**Theresa**

A

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Chapter: 24

Once again my house was HOME. My family was home and we were once again together. Lissa and Sparky seemed to have gotten closer after the shared experiences with the Strigoi. I can't be sure but I think that Abe and my mother are rekindling the feelings that they once had.

I was much more at peace but still there was something not quite letting me feel fully at piece.

After dinner we all went to sit in the family room in front of the huge fireplace. Yeva and Olena were working on a hand sewn quilt for Theresa. Lissa and Chris are on the Floor with Victoria playing with the babies and Paul is in a corner of the room building a blanket fort with Eddie. Sonya, Karolena, Adrian and I have are each going over one of the books Abe brought with him. Mom and Abe are sitting quietly on a love seat. Ivan is standing guard inside

That nagging feeling comes over me. I think I know what it is.

"Adrian, Eddie could you go with me for a walk." I asked Eddie because I knew that if I didn't have a guardian with, me Ivan or one of Abe's other guardians would follow.

"Sure." Eddie didn't even give me a questioning look. Adrian nodded. I had a bit of trouble getting myself off the couch so he gave me so support from behind and Eddie offered me a hand. Thankfully the women smiled but said nothing to embarrass me farther. Adrian wrapped his arm around my waist but let me lead the way out.

I walked around the pond to the other side; there just beyond the wards I could feel the source of my unease. My stomach clenched in the familiar way but yet it was a much different sensation than just an ordinary Strigoi.

"I am here. It's ok you can come out." I heard a rustling in the woods and out stepped Dimitri. He looked haggard. I know that Strigoi do not sleep but he looked like he needed it. His eyes had dark circles. His face seemed sallow and sunken in. The sight of him so sickly was unbearable. I sucked in a breath. I could feel tears brimming in my eyes.

"Comrade, what's wrong?" I almost ran to him but two gentle sets of hands held me back.

"I need to feed. I have tried animal blood but it is not enough it curbs the hunger but I think it isn't compatible."

"When did you last feed?" His face fell

"I drained a dear before I came here but I have not taken a human life since the night I attacked you. I wanted to be able to hold off taking you for a while." His voice was full of anguish.

"That was over a week ago!"

"Dimitri I will call my cousin and ask for some donor blood. Could you meet us back here tomorrow about 3 am?" Adrian looked concerned.

"There is a human couple in a house not two miles from here. Their home is unwarded. I almost took them tonight, my hunger is so strong and my strength is waning."

"Dimitri if I let you feed could you stop yourself?" Adrian and Eddie both squeezed my arms.

"Rose I couldn't, the baby, if my will isn't strong enough?"

"I trust you Comerad." I was just about to pull from Eddie and Adrian when I felt Adrian let go of me. He went past the wards before I could stop him.

"Brother when I was 10 you saved me from living with an abusive father. I will trust you to stop." He stood before Dimitri and leaned his head to the side. I ran to him and Eddie followed. I held on to Adrian so that I could pull him away if I needed to.

"Brother." Dimitri breathed the word before he leaned in for the bite. I counted the seconds and in less time than Lissa had ever fed from me, Dimitri pulled away. Adrian had a faraway goofy look in his face. I pulled a pack of Kleenex from my pocket and patted away the blood dripping from Adrian's neck. I knew that this small amount of blood would not be enough. Strigoi need more blood than a Moroi does.

"You need more Dimitri, I know, I can feel it."

Beside me I felt Eddie stiffen. With wide eyes he stepped forward. He leaned his head to the side as Adrian had. His whole body trembled. In Spokane he had been used as a snack by the Strigoi who held us hostage.

"Thank you Eddie. I know what a sacrifice this is for you." Dimitri again took less than Lissa had ever taken from me. He pulled away. I could see that he was almost strong enough to hold out but not close enough yet. Adrian was now feeling less high and clearer headed. He knew what I was about to do and took Eddie from me I handed him the Kleenex pack and he tended to Eddie's neck.

I leaned my neck for him. Gently he moved my hair from my shoulder. He looked in my eyes he bent down and paused for a moment.

"I will always love you." He breathed quietly. I had not heard those words from him for nearly nine months. Tears overflowed my eyes. His bite was gentle almost like a kiss. I thought of all the ways I have loved him. He was my friend and my confidant, he knew me better than I knew myself and I knew him the same way. He had been my lover, my first love. He was the father of my child. Yes I would always love him. I didn't feel guilty about it. My feelings for him were not romantic anymore.

He pulled himself from my neck and held me for a moment.

"Thank you Rose, I understand how you feel for me. I could feel it. Thank you for loving me even though I have hurt you so much. I know that this must have been dificult for you but you did it willingly for me."

"I will save you and our daughter will know her father and love him."

Adrian was at my side patting the blood from my neck. I didn't feel dizzy or high in any way. I looked at Adrian I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I will be here tomorrow. Thank you. All of you, and please do not let my family come to me. I don't want them to see me as a monster." With that he turned and walked back into the woods. We turned and walked back to the house. Half way around the pond I stopped. I put a hand over Eddie's wound. I pulled the love in my heart and sent it into him. When I lifted my hand the wound was just a little pink. I did the same to Adrian. Adrian touched mine I felt the hot cold hot of spirit. When he was done healing me he kissed the place where the bite had been. We walked in silence.

(Eddie thank you for what you did out there.)

He nodded and went off to his room. I sent Adrian up to bed. Telling him I would be there as soon as I said goodnight to whoever was left in the living room. I walked into the living room. There was only one person left in here. She was sewing quietly in the corner rocking in her chair.

"Good night Yeva." I bent down to kiss her on the head.

"How is my grandson?"

"How did you know? He is better now." Subconsciously I touched my bite.

"You give him life is many ways." She smiled at me and motioned for me to sit on the other rocking chair. I began to rock and pat rub my belly.

"Yeva, I could feel that he still loves me the way he once did. He felt my love for him tonight. He understands that my love for him has changed. I love him more than before but it is not the same kind of love. Will he be able to move on?"

"Granddaughter you are asking questions that fate will answer in time but for now you should not ask. Right now you must learn what you can about what you have become. That journal calls you a wielder of Life and Death and that is a good description but a little inaccurate."

"I think your right Yeva; Elemental wielders get their power from the element that they wield. Lissa and Adrian actually give some of their spirit when they wield. I don't think I draw my power from life or death."

"What do you draw on?"

"Love." Just then Misty Blue padded into the room and jumped up on my lap. I had taken shadows from both Lissa and Adrian today and I knew that she was here to take the worst of them from me.

"When I saved Misty I wanted to give her all the love she never had in her short life. Nearly every time that I have done something new it was at times that I wanted to protect, heal or help the ones I love."

Misty jumped down to play and run off the shadow energy. Yeva and I both watched and laughed at her antics.

"Your children will be lucky to have such a loving mother."

"Yeva I told you that I am only planning on having one baby."

"I think your husband would like children of his own."

"He loves Theresa as if she was his own."

"Granddaughter you are predestined to have many children. If you do not listen to fate you will not be able to fulfill the mission you were put on this earth to do."

"I promise to consider it Yeva. Thank you, Oh I know that you have to tell your family that Dimitri came. He does not want you to see him that way, please don't try to see him."

Misty Blue jumped up on my lap and climbed up so that she was being held baby style over my shoulder. We said our good nights. I carried Misty with me and put her on my bed. I gathered my PJs and went to change.

Adrian was asleep when I got into bed. I scooted next to him and he embraced me in his sleep. The predawn light peeked through the window shades as I allowed myself to drift off. I thought of the balcony of the beach house in Australia. The sunrise was so beautiful purple and pink. There were clouds low on the horizon. I thought of Adrian and he appeared by my side. We stood in silence watching the sun rise, with his arm around my waist.

"How are you Lil' Dhampir?" I nuzzled closer to him and breathed in his sent.

"I am good but I want to ask you something." We sat on the lounge chairs so that we could face each other. "Adrian, do you want children of your own?" He smiled at me.

"I want more children with you. I love Theresa as my own but she will need siblings to play with."

"How many do you want, how far apart?" I began to hyperventilate. This was one conversation I had not thought about having before we got married.

"Come down Rose, let's concentrate on the baby we are having first. We could leave it in God's hands how many and how far apart."

"That's easy for you to say, making them is the fun part but I have to carry them."

"That is true." He looked a little disappointed.

"Oh, ok we will leave it up to God." He gave me a ridiculously huge smile before carrying me to the bedroom.

____

When I opened my eyes in the morning Adrian was already out of bed. I dressed for my day and went looking for him. I found him in his Office talking on the phone, I came in and he opened his arms for me to sit on his lap. He was renting small appliances and furniture. He also rented a Generator and ordered a lot of gasoline to power it. He arranged to go pick them up within an hour.

"What is all that for?" I had my suspicions but I wanted him to say.

"Well from the looks of it Dimitri is not living in some fine house right now. The weather is going to get really bad soon. I know of a little log cabin that is beyond the wards about a half mile. We used to play there when I was little. I woke up early this morning to check it out; and it is still in relatively good condition. He can stay there and we can keep an eye on him. Sasha will be bringing me a supply of blood every 3 days."

"You are a good brother and you will be a wonderful father." He smiled and kissed me.

"I have to go get things ready for him. If you need me give me a call."

Adrian POV

I drove to the warehouse with Arthur and Eddie. I had a hard time not letting my feelings show. I wish I could master that guardian mask they all seem so good at. Rose thinks I am just doing this out of the goodness of my heart. In truth it is breaking my heart to do it. Now that I know he is my brother I love him as my brother. I know that he is not my completion anymore. I could hear and see that he understood that she loves me. I know she would never leave me for him.

She has no clue what God has planned for her but I have been given a glimpse into her future. I know that I will not always be with my Rose. One day my Lil' Dhampir will need him. I don't know how many years I will have with her. From what Rhonda said it will not be many. One day I will have to decide my fate and he will need to be there to hold her up. If Eddie or Arthur saw the tears that escaped my eyes they said nothing.

We loaded the truck and Arthur drove it as I led the way. Instead of turning off for home we went a little farther and turned on a little stone paved road. There was the cabin just ahead. We stopped as close as the weeds would allow and began to unpack the truck.

We put a small couch and a coffee table in one end of the main room. On the other end we put a small table and chair, on the table I put some empty journals along with the ones he had written before being turned. I put a box of stationary and pens. Next to that a small refrigerator and on the refrigerator I placed a small microwave. In the tiny cabinet I put a few dishes, not that he would need them but it made the place feel homier.

In the small bedroom I put a twin sized bed and a bookshelf. From the SUV I took a few boxes of things that Rose did not know I had. I put Dimitri's books in the bookshelf along with some new western stories that I thought maybe he had not read. On a nightstand a lamp and a wooden box for him to put the jewelry that rose and I gave him. I put a copy of the picture that rose had of the two of them in training. I placed copies of the Ultrasound pictures with the first picture. I put some folded bedding down on the bed for him.

I was not sure if he felt the cold so I left some space heaters since I wasn't sure if he would use a fireplace. Arthur set up the electrical cords for the all the electronic equipment. Eddie put up dark blue curtains and made sure that the shutters and windows worked.

The last thing I left was a toiletry bag and some gallons of water next to the old fashioned basin and mirror.

We took the truck back and drove back home. I felt totally drained and all I wanted was to lie next to my Rose.

When I got home she was in Theresa's room organizing all her little things. I wrapped my arms around her. I drank in her sent. I could tell that she was feeling too energetic to nap with me so I sat next to her and folded clothes.

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Dimitri POV

I stood in the trees as I had last night. I watched as Janine and Eddie patrolled the perimeter. Rose and Adrian exited the house. In Adrian's arms, he held a large foam cooler. I could smell the blood in it. When they got close Rosa called my name. I came out from behind the trees. She was as beautiful as ever. How could I have wanted to hurt her in the ways that I had planned? I can feel that the monster in me still wants to but for my daughter and for her family I will not give in to the monster in me.

"Adrian, Rose ,thank you for your help." They stopped just outside of the wards. I had not noticed that Rose held an insulated lunch box in her hands. She handed me the lunch box, the smell of blood was strong.

"These are warmed to close to body temperature." I opened it and took a bag of blood. I bit into it and the blood flowed down my throat. In all, the lunch box held 8 bags of sweet warm blood. I drained each with the urgency of a starved man. Once I was done I felt sated and stronger. I felt that I could fight the monster within me, though the monster wanted me to use this strength against those who I loved.

"Rose please wait here for me, I will be back soon." Was he planning on being alone with me?

"No Adrian, where you go I go." He shook his head in resignation.

"Dimitri Please follow me." He took hold of Rose's hand she lit a lantern and held it in front of us to illuminate the way for them. I could see perfectly well without it.

In a clearing I could see a small cabin. I could hear the sound of an engine coming from somewhere near the cabin. He led us up the steps handed me the box of blood. He opened the door with a key gestured that I walk in first. Rose and Adrian followed me. He twisted a switch on a small hanging lamp. It gave off a very soft light. He took the box of blood from me, and put twenty four bags into a small refrigerator.

"You can heat it up in the microwave to make it more palatable. Before rose and I left the Academy I asked Alberta if she would send your belongings along with ours. Your journals are on the table along with new ones. The bed room is over there. I forgot the box of your clothing, if you don't mind I will bring them the next time we meet in three days at the same place by the pond. I forgot about a putting a television in here but I could bring one soon."

His voice and face looked and sounded normal but I could detect a little bit of sadness. I wondered what could possibly make him so sad.

"Thank you for your generosity I assure you I do not deserve it."

"Maybe not now but you will brother."

Just then Rose put her hand to her belly with a smile.

"She likes the sound of Dimitri's voice."

"That's because he is Daddy Dimitri." Adrian chuckled

"She moved for Daddy Adrian too."

Without a thought she grabbed my hand and placed it on her belly. There was a thump and then another. I hesitated for a moment before bending down and speaking.

"Hello Baby." The movement increased, I decided to try Russian. "Ya lyublyu tebya,detka." The movement went wild.

"What did you tell her?"

"He said, I love you baby." Adrian was the one who answered her question.

With that her eyes brimmed with tears and she wore a huge smile. I wanted to kiss her so badly. Being in this cabin reminded me of then night we made love in a cabin.

"I think I will settle in and let you get home before anyone worries about you."

I walked them to the door and went to explore my new home. Rose had not seemed to recognize the cabin so I do not think she had anything to do with the decorating. I found it touching that Adrian would do this for me. In the bedroom I found a bookshelf filled with my favorite books but the thing that took my breath away was the night stand. I could tell that the picture of Rose and I was a copy but it made me smile to think that she had the original. Next to it was three ultrasound pictures of my baby. I spent most of the next few days looking at the pictures.

Rose POV

Adrian and I walked back through the woods and Eddie was waiting for us. When he saw us he spoke into his earpiece Janine came jogging up to us. She took both of us into her arms.

"Thank heaven you are safe, I have been a nervous wreck since you walked away with him."

"Mom, Adrian and I both have stakes with us as well as my special stake. He is not healed yet but I know that he is safe for now."

"How the hell can you know that?"

"Dead people remember."

"Not funny Rosemarie!"

"I have a Ghost helping me. Her name was Sonya Carp. She was my teacher, a Spirit wielder. She is trying to earn forgiveness by helping me. I can't talk to Dimitri's soul because he is undead but she can. The whole time I was outside of the wards she was telling me how he was doing."

It was almost dawn and I was beginning to feel tired. Even with the belly supporter the weight of my belly was killing my back. I gave a big yawn; Adrian put his arm around my waist.

"Good night Eddie and Janine, I think I need to take my wife up to bed." With that he led me to our room.

Tonight Adrian and I were both lost in our own thoughts so we opted not to dream walk. It was not an odd thing for us to do. In fact usually once a week we would just sleep like normal people would.

My back had been aching all evening and I was exhausted. I snuggled close to him and fell into a deep sleep next to him. Late into the night I felt my back begin to hurt. I dismissed it as more Braxton hicks. I tried to sleep but I couldn't. I carefully pulled myself out of bed and went to take a warm bath. The warm water helped a bit and after about an hour I decided to go back to bed. Shortly after snuggling back into Adrian's arms I felt it. There was a rush of water almost as if I had peed. Adrian woke instantly.

"Rose"

"Call Sasha and get Mom and Olena" Just then a strong contraction hit. I began to breathe till the pain subsided. I opened myself to Lissa; she was thankfully asleep in Fire boy's arms dreaming of the kids they would have in the future.

"_Auntie Lissa it's time, I need you!" _Her Eyes popped open and she ran to get dressed_._

"_I'm on my way!"_

"_Wake the Girls and tell them to come too."_

Just then another one hit and I had trouble getting the rhythm of my breaths.

Adrian sat close to me and breathed with me. Once the pain subsided he helped me get into a position with him sitting behind me to help me when It was time to push. Very soon my room was filled with the women in my family. Viktoria got the video camera ready. I had asked her to record this for her brother. Sasha checked to see how far along I was dilated.

"How long have you been having pains?"

"Since before dinner time, I didn't feel like eating much today because of it."

"Why didn't you call me? You're almost fully dilated, this baby is coming soon."

Adrian grabbed the picture from my nightstand we had decided that this would be my focal point. It was our way of including Dimitri in the birth. When the next pain hit he held the picture in front of me and whispered to me.

"You made this baby with love, and with love you will bring her into this world." My mother held one leg and Olena Held the other, Lissa held my hand and let me squeeze it. I could really feel the pain intensify with every contraction. Sasha gave me a local anesthetic on my girly parts and made a cut called an episiotomy. This was so that my skin would not rip if the baby's head was big.

"OK Rose, are you ready to start pushing?" I nodded

"With the next contraction I want you to push "

It came quickly; I gave a big push and grunted as I felt the baby move. The whole time Adrian kept telling me how much he loved me and he was proud of me. He told me that Dimitri would be proud of me too. I pushed for half an hour before her head began to crown. Things moved along faster then. Once her head and shoulder were out, the rest of her followed. She gave a strong loud cry and as I heard my baby I cried too. I could hear the tears in Adrian's voice when he spoke.

"Theresa Marie Belakov Ivashkov, welcome to the world." He kissed my head. She is beautiful. Sasha brought her up to my arms. I held my daughter for the first time. Yeva stood nearby.

"She sounds hungry, you should feed her." I forgot about all the people in the room, exposed a breast and brought her face closer. Her crying intensified till she found the nipple. I felt a momentary prick of pain that quickly subsided. I watched my baby nurse. She had soft brown hair; it was curly and stuck against her head. She looked up at me and her eyes were a medium brown. Adrian reached over my shoulder to touch her hand. She grabbed hold his finger tightly.

After about 10 min Sasha told me I should switch breasts. She showed me how to take the nipple away so that I would not hurt myself. Once my breast was free from Theresa's mouth we saw it, two tiny marks. Theresa was wailing so I adjusted her to the other breast. As soon as she took hold of the nipple I felt the prick. I realized that it was the feel of fangs.

"Sasha, why does my baby have fangs?" I looked up at her and saw confusion on her face.

"I may need some blood work to find out but I think this baby might be Moroi."

I looked at my Daughter. I had always known that she was going to be special but I think I may be surprised my how special she is.

I finished feeding her and gave her over to Adrian. He burped her before giving her to Karolena and Sonya who were going to clean her and dress her. Mom and Yeva helped me get up to shower while my bed was stripped and remade. Thank goodness Sasha had told me to get a Rubber sheet to protect my mattress.

When both my daughter and I were cleaned and dressed my father and the other male members of my family came in to visit us.

* * *

Ok back to the pop quiz.

**!. Why do you think Rose can feel Dimitri even though she is within the unbroken wards of the house?**

**2. Do you think that some part of Rose feels grossed out at being a feeder to Strigoi Dimitri after he used to treat her as a blood whore?**

**3. What's with Adrian? **

**4. what is this Mission that God/Fate has planned for Rose?**

**5. Why does the baby have fangs?**

Pleas pass your answers forward by pushing the Review botton.

Miss Suzanna


	25. A Royal Visit

From here on out my posts might be every other day. I had been writing well ahead of my posts for a while but I am almost out of prepared Chapters. I refuse to put out anything that I have not reviewd and edited but I will try to keep them commig regularly.

As you know I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

* * *

**Chapter: 25 A Royal Visit**

I was sitting in a rocking chair nursing Theresa. It was a rare quiet moment with her. Everyone loved her and wanted to be with her. As we rocked I hummed the tune. You are my Sunshine. I knew that Adrian was making a special trip to see Dimitri. He was bringing him a gift today. I had heard him purchase a flat screen television with a built in DVD player. He also purchased every western movie known to man. I had suggested he get an MP3 player and load it full of Country and 80s music. I knew that the real gift was the copies of our ultrasound sessions and the DVD of Theresa's birth.

I wish I could be there to see his face but I know that the best place for me to be right now is here with Theresa. There is a storm brewing outside and it is too cold for me to bring her out but I longed so much to take her to him.

There was a soft knock at my door. I looked up at Sasha's smiling face. I smiled at her and she walked into the room.

"How are you feeling?" she reached down and stroked Theresa's soft curls.

"A little sore but otherwise I am good. Lissa and Adrian both have tried to heal me but I keep telling them no. I know I will heal in time."

"No sex for 6 weeks, that's the normal waiting period."

"Well maybe I will let Adrian heal me." This comment earned me a snicker from her. For me the thought of a month and a half without Adrian was unthinkable. I offered her the baby to burp while I fixed my top.

After Theresa burped Sasha held her and made cooing sounds to her. I went to my bathroom and prepared her little bath tub. I talked to the baby as I washed her. She smiled at me showing her gums and fangs. Sasha sat on the edge of the tub quietly watching me interact with my baby. I had many questions for her. We still did not know if Theresa was full Moroi if the fangs were a genetic anomaly. She had bit me twice in her three days of life but according to a Moroi book for new mothers that Sasha had given me most Moroi babies bite at least every other nursing.

I dried Theresa and dressed her in a lilac colored dress. She fell asleep in my arms. I couldn't help my curiosity any longer.

"Have you gotten the blood work back yet? Is she a healthy Dhampir or Moroi? Most of all is she healthy?"

"Slow down Rose. Yes I have the paperwork back and she is healthy but I want to talk to you and Adrian about the Moroi Dhampir thing, and I also wanted to ask Adrian something."

"Ok but he won't be home for a while. He went to take some gifts to… a friend." She cocked her head at me.

"I brought more food for your friend. Adrian said that he will be meeting with him after dinner, why is he there so early?"

"He wanted to take him a TV and the birth video."

"Rose would it be ok if I go with Adrian tonight? I want to check him out. I am worried that the donor blood won't be enough." I know she saw the worry in my face when I looked at her.

"Why do you think that?" I held Theresa a little closer.

"Rose Moroi use feeders for more than the reasons of convenience and the flavor of fresh blood. Once blood leaves the body it begins to die. It quickly loses something that we can't scientifically identify. For Moroi it would be like missing a few vitamins in their diet. I fear that it might be more vital to a Strigoi."

"I'm going tonight, please come. I will explain it to him that your there to help."

"Rose it's going to be cold out there are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yes." With that the conversation ended. We entered the family room; most of the family including Ivan, Nicolai and Johannes were in there reading through the spirit books. Yeva was in her rocking chair working on the quilt. Sasha sat next to Sonya who was playing with the babies. Sasha went over to play with the babies too.

Yeva set her sewing aside and opened her arms for Theresa.

"May I hold her?" I handed over my sleeping child to her Great Grandmother. Yeva cooed softly to her in Russian it sounded like what Dimitri had said when he spoke to her through my belly. I smiled as I watched them. I rubbed my flattened stomach and felt a longing to have her close to me as she had been then. Yeva looked over at me.

"It is a kind of lonely feeling isn't it? Before you give birth your child is always with you and you cannot wait to have her in your arms but in giving birth you have to begin to let go." I sighed and nodded my head. I don't know how but she took my abstract feeling and fit them into word perfectly. She gave a nod to everyone in the room.

"I tried to tell them not to bother; those books do not hold the answer. The answer is in you. Once you figure it out you will know what to do." I leaned close to her and spoke in whispers.

"Yeva if you know how I am supposed to help him please tell me."

"Rose I don't know the answer, all I know is that it is within you."

"He suffers right now. I can feel his pain."

"His suffering is his penance, and his trial. God is making him worthy."

"He was always so good, why would he have to suffer? What is God making him worthy for?"

"Again granddaughter you are asking questions that you should not be asking. For now you need to explore within you and when it is time you will find the answers."

"For once Yeva I wish you would give me a straight answer." I sighed rocked quietly next to Yeva. I must have fallen asleep. I awoke to the gentle hand of Adrian. He was leaning over me whispering in my ear and stoking my cheek.

"Rose sweetie, I need you to wake up my little Dhampir." I opened my eyes and stretched. I gave him my man eater smile

"I missed you."

"I missed you too my love." His face was a bit serious. "I have some news for you, Aunt Tatiana just called me and she would like to come over for lunch. She said that after word she would like to speak with you, Lissa, Christian and me."

"When, what day does she want to come?"

"Today, she will be here in two hours." Oh this was the last thing I wanted to deal with today. I could see in Adrian's eyes that he was hoping that this visit would be a good thing.

"I will try not to let my more colorful nature get the best of me. I am telling you now she had better be nice. I am not changing this family's habits for her; she eats at the same table with the guardians. We can have tea after in the sitting room so we can talk."

"Thank you sweetie, your generosity always amazes me." I opened myself to Lissa, big mistake. She and Christian where taking advantage of some alone time in their room. I pulled myself out quick. Adrian gave me a funny look.

"Let's just say we aren't the only bunnies in this house. I think I will text her instead." Adrian gave a hearty chuckle.

I was in the Theresa's room changing her diaper when I heard the door bell ring. I picked her up and held her against my body. She squirmed and fussed a little I had just fed and burped her so she should not have been hungry but I suspect that she had my Dhampir appetite. I placed her higher on my shoulder.

"Sorry little one but the Queen is waiting for us." She fussed a little more but soon gave up and fell asleep. Thankfully the queen and her guardians were still in the foyer removing their outerwear. I had to wonder what had brought the queen out her on such a nasty day.

"Your Highness, welcome to our home." I gave her a bow then stood by Adrian's side. We guided her into the sitting room and offered her and her Guardians some tea. There was a moment of awkward silence. Theresa gave a little grunt in her sleep. I readjusted her so that I could cradle her in my arms. I could feel Tatiana's gaze on me and my baby. I tried not to tense knowing if I did Theresa would feel it. I put my guardian mask up and looked over at Tatiana. She had a smile on her face.

"May I hold her?" I was not ready for this. I looked over at Adrian; he gave me a nod of encouragement. I crossed the room and handed her the baby. I wanted to stand guard over her but I knew that that would just be very rude. I walked over to my own seat. Adrian reached out to hold my hand. He made smoothing motions with his thumb and I allowed myself to relax.

The queen gazed down at her with a smile. Theresa squirmed again and opened her eyes. The queen cooed at her and she gave a smile. I heard the queen gasp. Oops we forgot about her fangs. Tatiana looked up at us. Adrian came to the rescue with a half truthful explanation.

"You know Auntie that Rose is shadow kissed. We think that because of that the baby may be Moroi and not Dhampir. Sasha is running blood work and the paternity test you wanted. We will have the results in a day or two."

"Adrian dear, I am fully satisfied that this child is yours. First of all you have told me she is and second of all she has many Ivashkov features. I do find it interesting that she may be Moroi, Please let me know when you find out." Theresa began to fuss again. I could tell by her cry that she was hungry. I went to her.

"I'm sorry Your Highness but I believe she is hungry." I held my arms out and Tatiana carefully handed her back to me.

"She is as lovely as her mother." Whoa! That was the first kind word I have ever heard her say to me. Helen stepped into the room to announce that Lunch is ready.

"You all go ahead; I will be there in a few minutes." Everyone left the room and I settled down to feed my daughter. About a minute later I heard someone enter the room. When I looked up I was surprised to see the queen holding a plate of finger sandwiches and a class of milk.

"You're Highness?" I was dumbstruck.

"I thought you might be hungry too and after all the abuse I have handed out to you this is truly the least that I could do for you." She set the food down on the glass end table beside me then she sat down near me, which also surprised me.

The only blanket I had at the moment was the one that was wrapped around Theresa. My face flushed as I realized how exposed I was. Around my family (pretty much all the people who lived here) I was not shy about breastfeeding but this was different. As if she read my mind she took off her sweater and offered it to me.

"You look a little cold, you could use my sweater."

"Thank you." I took her offering and used it to cover my shoulder and the baby. I took a bite of a sandwich. "Thank you for bringing me some food. Actually I am quite hungry." I finished nursing Theresa. "Go ahead I just need to get her basket and I will be there in a moment."

"I will wait for you." She followed me into the family room where I had left the basket. We brought it back into the dining room with us and I settled her down before sitting in my place next to Adrian. The conversation at the table seemed almost nonexistent. So the queen took it upon herself to begin one.

"Adrian I have noticed that you have given up your vices; does that have anything to do with Rose?" She glanced at me with a smile.

"Yes Auntie it does. She has always had a soothing effect on me. I drank and smoked to dull the effects of spirit, when I am with her I just feel better. Lissa was lucky to have Rose and their bond. Rose has the ability to take the Shadows away; she pulls the craziness from her so that it doesn't harm her. About six months ago she developed the ability to do the same for me."

"Rose don't these shadows harm you?"

"They used to but well you see I helped save this kitten and it has a bond with me now. It helps me by pulling the shadows from me."

"You should see it sometime Your Highness, it is really quite cute. " Lissa chimed in.

The queen asked more questions about my Shadow Kissed abilities I knew that some of the answers were in my file. Those I answered freely and in depth but then she asked how everyone knew what to do the day that her Guardian went Stigoi. This was one that I really didn't want to have out as common knowledge.

"Your Highness, I have developed some new abilities but I would rather keep them private. As you know there are people out there like Viktor Dashkov who would want to use my abilities to their own ends."

"I can quite understand that."

After lunch I asked the Queen if she would like to conduct her meeting with us in the sitting room over tea. Olena took Theresa so that I could concentrate on our meeting without interruption.

"Well I am sure that you have noticed a dramatic change in my attitude. Let me assure you that I did learn several lessons from the incident a few weeks ago. I am very sorry that two people had to die for me to finally open my eyes. I am very grateful that you were there." She looked at me.

"Rosemarie, you truly are a Great Guardian. To be able to fight as you did in your ninth month of pregnancy. I am glad that the princess was there to heal your injuries and those that might have happened to your child. You are correct that Vasilisa is safest with you.

Christian Ozera, you are very brave. I had heard that you fought with Rose during the attack last March. I let my prejudice against your parents cloud my thinking. You are defiantly not like them. Your Aunt is right that Moroi should learn to use our magic both defensively and offensively.

Lissa and Adrian, I need help. I am so set in my ways and I need help changing policies, both official and unofficial.

I have decided that I will step down in a little over a year from now. Princess would you do me the honor of taking my place when I step down. I will need you to spend most of your time at court but you can live where ever you wish though I couldn't imagine that you would want to leave here. I know that you are still in collage but I can arrange for you to have private instruction so that you can learn the duties of the crown as well as finish your studies."

Lissa had tears in her eyes. Her feelings were so strong that I had to fight to keep in my own head. Lissa nodded. The Queen looked Lissa directly in the eye and in her most regal voice she repeated her question.

"Princess Vasilisa Dragomir would you do me the honor of taking my place as Queen of the Moroi?"

"Yes Your Majesty."

"Do you promise to do your best to protect the lives and culture of our people, Moroi and Dhampir, and do you promise to help bring a better quality of Life for them?"

"Yes Your Majesty"

"I Queen Tatiana Ivashkov name you Vasilisa Dragomir to be my heir to the Thrown."

I ran to Lissa and hugged her. The queen cleared her throat and we sat back down.

"That being said Rosemarie you will continue to be Veralisa'a Guardian however I need you to do a special job. I have heard from your former instructors that when you first learned of your pregnancy that instead of participating in classes you instead were asked to teach a class for the adult Moroi living on campus. There are many academies in our world and I would like for each of them to begin teaching self defense for Moroi. We will need classes for the children all the way through adults who wish to go to the academies to learn. I have asked Natasha Ozera to spearhead a similar program to teach the use of Elemental Magic. If you accept this appointment you will be working closely with her to integrate the programs. Are you willing to do this for our people?"

"Yes Your Majesty." Oh this should be interesting. I hope that Tasha and I can work together; this is majorly important for our people.

"Christian Ozera, since you are the living evidence that this kind of teamwork can work I want you to work closely with both Natasha and Rosemarie. It will be your job to oversee the integration of both projects. Are you willing to accept this appointment?"

"Yes Your Majesty."

"I thank you all for your time. I must get back to court. We will begin mid February; I would like this to be up and ready to be implemented within the next school year."

----

Sasha had left long before her grandmother the queen had shown up for lunch but she came back right after dinner. Everyone in the family knew she was here to deliver blood for Dimitri. The subject of Dimitri was sometimes a difficult one. We were all still engaged in the effort to find the cure for him, but it was difficult to talk about the fact that he was less than a mile away still Strigoi.

I bundled up before we headed outside. The storm had passed for now but it was very cold outside and there was some ice patches on the ground. Adrian carried the cooler full of blood. Eddie had the box of Dimitri's clothing I had a lantern and Sasha held her Medical bag. Once at the edge of the wards I called to him.

"Dimitri we're here. I brought a close friend; she is a Doctor and she wants to make sure you're OK." A moment later, he stepped out of the trees.

"Hello Dimitri I am Sasha. I am a little concerned I want to make sure that you are getting the proper nutrients from the donor blood. May we go to your place so I can examine you?"

She walked right through the wards and offered him her hand. He looked at her with a look I knew so well. It was the look he gave any time I did something unexpected. Very politely he shook her hand. He turned and led the way to the cabin.

"Rose May, I speak with you?" He sounded so much like Dimitri my mentor I had to laugh.

"Sure thing comrade" I sped up to catch up to him. I could hear Adrian tell the others to hold back a little to give us some privacy. The sound of their footsteps grew more distant.

"You should be home Roza, taking care of our child. Not out here going to the lair of a Stigoi." His voice was stern like it had been so many times during training.

"Sorry Comrade you know I am a rule breaker. Theresa is with your mother, don't worry she knows your here but she will respect your wishes as will everyone else in the house. The only ones you will see are one or all of us. I am perfectly healthy, I gave birth, and it's nothing new women all over the earth do the same thing all the time, I am fine."

"I have seen the video of her birth. Adrian was right, we made her with love and with love you brought her into this world. I am proud of you Roza, you did well."

"Thank you, comrade. Adrian helped me through the worst of it."

"I wish I could turn the hands of time and change things. I wish I had never been turned. I am grateful to Adrian for being there with you but I wish I could have been the one at your side. I would have married you."

"I know Comrade. I really do wish things had been different."

"Roza, are you happy? Do you love him?

"Yes Dimitri I am happy, he is a wonderful man and I do love him. I love you, you know that; but I had to move forward for myself. I had to think about Theresa. I will always love you. With Adrian I have learned to love more." He nodded.

"Rose, Adrian told me that if you find the way to save me that both of you want me to live in the house with your family."

"I think that is the best way for Theresa to know her father. We want you to be a very active part of her life."

We arrived at the cabin and he opened the door with the key. I waited till he turned on the light before I turned the lantern off. The others walked thought the door a moment later. Adrian was telling Sasha about Tatiana's amazing attitude transformation. Once inside the cabin Adrian put the blood in the fridge. Eddie handed the box of clothing to Dimitri who took it to his bedroom. And Sasha began to take out her equipment.

"Dimitri, please sit down here at the table." He did as she said. She picked up one of those light things that doctors use to look in your eyes. "This might hurt a bit." She shined the light in his right eye and looked into it. His hands balled into fists and he gave a moan. I was afraid that he would lash out but the Ghost of Miss Carp told me that he was in control. Sasha moved to the left eye. A Stigoi can see in clearly in the darkest night so for them to have a light directly into their eyes would be excruciatingly painful.

"I'm sorry that I had to do that to you Dimitri, but the eyes can tell you so much about a person's health." He nodded his head as he rubbed his eyes. "I need a blood sample" He gave her an arm and she took a small vile of blood. She put her things in her bag.

"Dimitri, have you noticed that the donated blood seems to be different than blood from a living being?"

He looked down to the ground. I could feel his torment.

"The donor blood is much better than the animal blood but I can feel that I am not as strong as was before. I had been so week when Rose Adrian and Eddie fed me, but there blood made me better. I could not think of asking that kind of sacrifice from them."

"Dimitri you need living blood. If you took a little every 2 days you would not hurt the person who fed you." His face bent lower and he said.

"I will leave that decision to them. I will not ask it of anyone."

"You are my brother; I am willing to do it for you." Adrian knelt down to look Dimitri in the eye.

"Actually cousin I think Rose would be the best choice."

With that every face turned to Sasha. I had felt certain that I would never be considered so I had not even offered. Adrian and Dimitri both looked at her as if she was insane.

"Theresa is 2/3 Moroi and only 1/3 human. She is still technically Dhampir but because she has enough Moroi in her that she needs blood, Rose's body has been preparing to be a donor to the baby. Her body will quickly replenish her blood loss. From her he can drink for as long as three minutes without doing any harm, and she is immune to the endorphins of the bite. Cousin you said so yourself when you told me about feeding him." There was a flash of sadness in Adrian's face but his face quickly went natural and he nodded. He looked at me.

"Rose, what do you think?"

"Of course I will help him." I walked over to Dimitri. Adrian and the other averted their eyes. I knew that though everyone understood the need for this the idea of me being a feeder bothered them. When Lissa and I were hiding out on our own, we had no access to feeders. I had to feed her every few days. I hated it mostly because of the endorphin high and the negative connotations. But what I did I did out of love for her; to me this was much the same. Dimitri was Theresa's father. I had to help him. This was different from what happened in Russia. Then he had fed from me to keep me docile. This was to keep him healthy.

Dimitri stood up and gently moved my hair away from my neck. He leaned down and I whispered to him so quietly that I knew only he could hear.

"You are my friend my mentor my first love and most of all you are Theresa' father, please don't feel guilt for this. You know I did it for Lissa, and I will do this for you."

Before taking the bite he breathed my name again.

"Roza" His bite was so careful almost like a kiss. I could almost feel him count the seconds afraid to take too much from me. My heart overflowed with thoughts of love; it was not the passionate romantic love I once felt for him but it was overwhelming none the less. When he was done he whispered. "Thank You, my Roza."

"Doctor, may I clean her up?" Sasha handed him some gauze and an alcohol pad. He dried the blood from my neck and cleaned the marks from his fangs.

"Adrian can you heal her for me?" Adrian stepped close; he wrapped an arm around me and placed his hand over my wounds. I looked deep into Adrian's emerald green eyes and found the romantic passionate love there. I smiled at him and I know he could feel it too.

* * *

I cant think of any questions to ask you today. But I would still appreciate a review. also any questions you have for me are welcome. I know I probably spelled Veralisa wrong and if I did I am sorry.

Suzanna


	26. The Dragomir Family

I hope you enjoy this Chapter.

I am not sure how much I will be able to get writen this Friday. My sisters and I will be taking my father to the cematary to Visit my Mothers grave. April 16 is the 5 anaverseryof her passing. this Chapter is Dedicagted to my Mommy. no matter how old I get I will always need you.

I do not Own VA

* * *

**Chapter26: The Dragomir Familiy**

The Christmas Holiday had been relaxing and fun. Most of our family and friends were already at our home and those who were not, came for Christmas day and dinner. Sasha, Andrew and their children Sophia and Sarah the twin girls and her boys Alexander and Aaron came over. Since the Queen seemed to be on her best behavior she was invited as well. She was very excited to spend time with her grandchildren. This had been the first time she ever interacted with them. At first they had been shy with her but they warmed quickly. She was very kind with Andrew and she apologized to him and Sasha for her mean behavior all these years.

The queen had brought a special gift for each member of the Belikov family. In a private conversation with Olena she acknowledged that it was her prejudges that had she had taught Nathan; which made him the abusive man he was. She regretted that he grew to be such a horrible man. Most of all she regretted how she had treated them at the wedding.

She also spoke to my Mom and Abe. Later mom told me that she had apologized to them for breaking them up and taking a good guardian from David Amiducci. She said that all these years she held herself responsible for his death. She promised that she would never interfere with another couple again. I was glad that she seemed to be making amends with everyone she hurt.

December 27th was the last day that the Belikovs would be here. Dimitri had consented to see his family before they left. Yeva gave him a thick envelop before she hugged him good bye. I promised them that I would not stop looking for the cure for and that I would call them if I did.

~~*~~

Coordinating Valentine's Day for so many couples was getting ridiculous. Chris wanted to do something special with Lissa which meant that Mom Eddie and I would have to go too. Problem was that all of us had partners who wanted to be with us. All of our partners were Moroi with Guardians of their own.

Finally I realized that if we went somewhere that was well warded with guardians of its own that would allow us a bit of freedom and autonomy. The lodge was the perfect solution. As lead Guardian I set some ground rules. Basically we were to stay indoors unless we were all out together.

Before leaving I asked Sasha if it would be ok for Dimitri to take a little more blood than usual since I would be gone for four days and our schedule was every other day. She told me to visit with him twice the day I was to leave and twice again the day that I got back.

~~*~~

The plane ride was only two hours but for me it felt longer. The moment we got in the air I felt a nagging feeling that something was wrong. I asked for some privacy and went to the back of the plane. I pulled down my mental walls and I allowed the ghosts to speak to me. There had been some attacks on families not far from the lodge. I contacted the Guardian counsel and informed them. The lodge was going to be put on high alert.

I sat there for a while. I felt so sad for the families that had been attacked. The ghosts told me they had been human families, there were no survivors. My mom came to sit next to me. She said nothing but she held my hand quietly. I know she would have seen similar atrocities. I could not stop thinking of the carnage I had seen in the Badica house when Dimitri took me there to see Arthur Schulenburg. These humans would have had no clue what was happening.

"Sorry mom but I think we won't be having such a romantic weekend with our loved ones. I think it is best that we try to stay together as much as possible."

"I am sure that we will be able to find our own romance in our suites." She smiled at me and elbowed me in the side. I was just about to elbow her back when Theresa gave a little squeak I knew she was about to give me her hungry cry. Before I could get out of my seat Adrian was already at her side. He unbuckled her from her car seat and brought her to me.

"I think it is lunch time for the little Dhampir." My mom got up to give her seat to Adrian. As I nursed Theresa we talked about anything and everything except the attacks. Leave it to Adrian to know what it is that I need.

After Lunch at the Lodge and some time at the spa I felt relaxed and able to have a good time. The spa was in some ways perfect because all four couples could spend time alone without being too far from each other. Chris and Lissa spent a lot of time in their suite which allowed us to have more time with our partners.

Mom and Abe have really gotten close to each other. They are so cute; Abe is very attentive to her. I am glad to see that she is starting to let go and let herself be a little girlie. She even asked me about going shopping with lily again. Sometimes when I think if what Tatiana did to my parents I get so mad. Dad Says that "the past is past and that the present is a better place to live." I think I like that saying.

Mia is very happy with Eddie. They are not really into public displays of affection but I can see the little things. They glance at each other a lot; and every time their eyes meet you can see the electricity between them. Mia may not be a virgin but I know Eddie believes in waiting for marriage. Judging by the energy around them I bet that they will be getting married soon.

On Valentine's Day Chris asked if we could meet for an early dinner. Christian had made reservations in the Lodges most exclusive restaurant. There was a little bit of discomfort when the Hostess asked Lissa and Christian where their Guardians were. Lissa pointed to us and we raised our hands. It was obvious that she had never seen Guardians with dates eating with their charges. Adrian wrapped his arm around me.

"Hello Melissa." She looked at him for a moment before her eyes grew large.

"Lord Ivashkov? How are you?"

"I am doing very well. I would like you to meet Lady Ivashkov."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you, Lady Ivashkov." She looked embarrassed now by her earlier comment. She showed us to our table.

The rest of our dinner was lovely. Chris was a bit of a butter fingers and dropped his napkin a few times. Each time a bus boy or waiter picked it up before he could retrieve it. I so wanted to tease him but my gut told me not to. Just before desert came he stood and went down on one knee. In his hand he had a ring. Lissa had her arms around him before he could even get the question out. She was so excited that she sucked me into her head. She was whispering to him through her sobs

"Yes, yes, yes, I love you, yes." I pulled myself from her and found that I had tears running down my face. I looked at Adrian and he was also misty eyed.

~~*~~

The next day around noon I got that nagging feeling again. I was worried that the wards around the lodge might be week but when I tried to see ghosts none came.

"Adrian. I need to get to the wards. Something is wrong I can feel it but I don't know what it is. I have to ask the ghosts."

I called my mother's room and asked her to watch Theresa for me. We bundled up and went to the gate. The guardian at the gate refused to let us out. Because the lodge was on high alert all guest had to leave via air. I tried to explain that I have the ability to talk to ghost but I had to get past the wards to do it but it was to no avail. Instead the guard looked at me like I was crazy. Adrian tried to use his status as an Ivashkov but that just made the Guardian more protective. So I did the one thing I never thought I would do. I asked Adrian for his phone and called his Aunt.

"Hello Your Highness. This is Rose. I am at the Lodge in Ohio and I need to get past the wards to check on something. But they won't let me out."

"Rose, why do you want to get past the wards? It's not safe right now."

"I can't explain it but something is wrong. If I can get passed the ward I can find out what it is."

"I will take care of it."

"Thank you." With that we both hung up. I stayed by the gate and waited. About a minute or two later the phone in the little room by the gate rang. The Guardian went to answer while still keeping an eye on us. There was a moment before he put his Guardian mask up that He looked almost sick. He came right out and opened the little door next to the gate for us. He stepped out with us then he stood by it. He had his hand on his stake and stood in a half crouch.

I walked past the wards with Adrian by my side. The moment I was on the other side I got bombarded. There were eight ghosts all talking at once.

"Stop! Please one at a time." I pulled my walls up then slowly let them down. One ghost caught my attention. She looked a lot like Lissa only a bit older. She was so sad looking and I felt drawn to her.

"What is wrong? Was there another attack?

"Yes. Please help my girls. They are still there the Strigoi have left but they thought my girls were dead. One was briefly but they are together now. They are young and alone."

"I have to get some guardians together but I promise to come back out. When we do I need you to show me where to go." She nodded. I looked at the other ghosts and they were all quiet. Adrian and I turned back and crossed back into the safety of the wards. I asked the guardian to have the Leader of the guards to meet me in the lobby. While walking back in, I explained to Adrian what the ghosts said. The leader of the Guardians was there waiting when we walked in. He reached out his hand.

"I am Guardian James Reece. How can I help you?"

"I am Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway; there has been another attack nearby. I need you to call the counsel. We need some investigators to come here and I will lead them to the site. I believe there are some children still alive at the scene."

The way the guy looked at me he must have thought I was nuts, but I am sure that the call from the queen earlier made him think twice about giving me a hard time. He picked up the phone and made the call. A few moments later Adrian's phone rang with the warped version of God Save the Queen.

"Hello Auntie… Yes there was another attack there may be survivors… I will have her call you as soon as she has had the chance to investigate it… I will let her know… yes that would be good thank you."

"She wants you to call as soon as you have investigated the scene. She is putting you in charge of the Investigation and she is sending a medically trained guardian with the investigators."

I asked the concierge for a map of the area and a note pad, and then I went back outside. I went beyond the wards again. This time only three ghosts were waiting for me. First was the woman who had spoken to me before. Her hair was very blond and her eyes were vibrant green despite the fact that she appeared faded. Next to her was a girl no older than fifteen. She looked so much like the older lady that I knew that they had to have been mother and daughter. Behind them was a tall man with dark hair and Ice blue eyes.

"Can you show me your location?" I rolled out the map and the man pointed out the rout to their home.

"I know that it may be difficult but can you tell me what happened?" I took their statements, Then I asked questions about the little girls who were left behind. I asked questions about family history. I wanted to be able to find the next of kin. I had a feeling that I knew who their next of kin was.

"I will be back out soon are the girls safe where they are hiding? We will be leaving at first light." It was the girl who spoke.

"They are both injured but they will be safe till you get there."

Once I was done with the ghosts I went to tend to my family. Adrian had been waiting for me by the gate almost the whole time. He handed me a cup of hot chocolate and walked me back inside. I had not realized how cold it was outside. It made me worry about the children of the murdered family. I sent a silent prayer for them.

I gathered my family together in my suite. I explained the situation to them. I told them that I would be leading the guardians on the inspection. I had not realized that I was in guardian mode till Theresa woke up. All business swept aside for the moment; I took my baby into my arms.

~~*~~

I was notified that the guardians would be landing in ten minutes. I was shown to the room I would use to brief them in. My notes had been copied onto transparencies and a projector was situated on the table. The map was up on a board with the rout I marked in red. I was a little nervous because this would be the first time since the Badica murders that I had been there during an investigation. The Investigators where specially trained, like crime scene investigators in the human world. Novices were given a class on investigating but it was nothing like the course that Investigators were given. On top of that you had to be chosen to become an investigator. I put my nervousness aside I was trained by the best. I had my guardian mask firmly in place before the guardians walked in.

As I explained the situation to the Guardians' one man kept interrupting me with questions.

"Excuse me Guardian Hathaway or is it Ivashkov? How were you informed about this incident?"

"My married name is Ivashkov but Professionally I am Hathaway. If you must know I am shadow kissed, Long story short, I talk to ghosts." I tried to continue with my briefing. I really didn't like that I had to be so open about my shadow kissed abilities but I realized that eventually I was going to need others to just accept it and not question it.

"So we are here because someone who is barely out of the Academy thinks she saw a ghost?" That was it. I took a calming breath.

"What is your name?"

"Roberts, Guardian John Roberts." He had a smirk on his face that I knew was going to be gone in two seconds.

"Guardian Roberts may I ask you, how many Molnija marks do you have?"

"Four."

"How nice for you, I have ten. Seven of them I earned before I ever earned my Promise mark. Tell me do you have any Zveda marks?"

"No ma'am"

"I have one from the attack on St Vladimir last year. Again that was before I received my Promised mark. I can assure you that I may be young but I am no Novice. You could ether work with me or you can wait here."

With that I continued with my briefing without further interruption. I did notice that when I turned to point to the map, there were several gasps as the guardians looked at the back of my neck. I have my hair up in French Twist but even so I prefer not to bring attention to them. This time however I knew it was the fastest way to the attention off of my youth and inexperience, and back to the task at hand.

~~*~~

As the sun began to rise we drove through the gates and passed the wards. I drove the first SUV in our caravan. Sitting next to me was the female guardian who I had seen at the Badica house.

"Your name is Tamara, am I correct?"

"Yes Tamara Johnson. I thought you looked familiar. You were Dimitri Belikov's student. I heard what happened to him. Such a shame he was a good man. I heard that you went looking for him. Did you find him?"

"Yes but when I tried to stake him we were hanging from a bridge and my aim was off by a fraction."

"I am sorry to hear that."

I wondered what others would think if Dimitri was turned back. Would he be accepted by others again or would he be shunned.

"Tamara, I have heard that there is a way to turn him back. I have been doing research, I have not found the answer yet but I believe that I will. Do you think that he would be welcomed back as a guardian?"

"From anyone else I would think they were crazy but from you I believe you will. As for being a guardian I don't know. Some might not trust him anymore. Perhaps some might think that he might be an even better guardian than before."

"Speaking of sounding crazy, if you see me talking to myself, just ignore it."

"I already know what you might be talking to. If Roberts says anything I will knock him out for you. You did a real good job of bringing him down a few pegs."

When we reached the drive way of the house I could see the ghosts waiting for me. I got out of the car and approached the mother.

"Where are the girls?"

"They are in the barn with the horses. I think Arianna is passed out."

"Great, large animals and Dhampirs this is going to be fun." I turned to the other Guardians.

"Tamara, could you come with me to the barn. Who is the medically trained Guardian?"

A short man with kind eyes stepped forward. I remembered his name was Carmine Scalice.

"The rest of you please explore the exterior of the grounds to see how they got in. This family was hiding among humans and they didn't have wards; but they did have three unsanctioned Guardians."

We made our way to the barn when we entered the horses began to snort and whinny. Animals just don't like Dhampirs and these horses were no exception. I made a motion for the other two to stay put for a moment. I was terrified of these huge beasts but my maternal instincts helped me calm my nerves. I took a deep breath and thought about calming the horses. The sounds of their discomfort began to ease. Slowly I approached the largest of the horses, murmuring soothingly. I tried to talk to the animal in my head the way I talked to Eddie Lissa and Adrian when the queen was under attack.

(I am here to help your girls. I know that they are in here hiding but they need help.)

The horse allowed me to touch its nose. It gave me a friendly snort. From the corner of my eye I saw the pearly image of a ghost. I turned and the sister was pointing to the stall of one of the smaller horses. I slowly approached this horse and she seemed calm near me. Tamera followed me. I knew she must be nervous but her mask was fully in place.

(I am told that your girls are in here. I need to come in and get them.)

She snorted at me and tapped me on the cheek with her muzzle. Then she stepped aside. I unlatched the stall door and stepped inside. In the corner hiding in the hay were two young girls. The older one was ether sleeping or unconscious the other one was awake and trembling.

"You must be Isabela, My name is Rosemarie and I came here to help you and Arianna. Can you walk?" She nodded her head shyly. I lifted her sister into my arms and Isabella grabbed hold of my leg.

"Tamara, I think it would be safe for you, could you close the stall for me." She went slowly and the horses did not seem to mind her presence. As she closed the door the horse gave her a gentle nudge on the face. "Tamera she is thanking you."

"Ah you're welcome, horse." She nodded and walked swiftly back.

"Isabela, this man is going to take care of you for me till I can take you to see my sister." He took Arianna from my arms. I lifted Isabela and followed them to our SUV." Carmine wrapped both girls with blankets. Arianna was unconscious and I had a feeling I knew why. I asked him to step away with me for a moment and in a hushed voice I explained to him.

"Carmine, I think that Arianna is a Spirit Wielder. If I am right she will be out for days, pulling someone from the other side takes an awful lot of energy. Also she will be the one who has injuries because she can't heal herself. The little one won't have a scratch on her because she has been completely healed by her sister."

Tamara and I went to join the others and we entered the house together. All the evidence in the house seemed to corroborate the testimony given to me by the ghosts. We made very concise notes, and we took pictures of the scene, then we called the Court coroner.

We finished up just before 12pm. Again I drove the lead car. I had the girls with Carmine in the back. Just before we got back to the Lodge I could see the ghosts of the Guardians who had lost their lives just yesterday. I pulled over and so did the other SUVs, I got out and brought my note book with me. By this time I did not care if they saw me talking to ghosts or not.

"What's up?" I could tell from the looks on their faces that they had something to tell me.

"The band of Strigoi will attack again. It will be this week, on Wednesday."

"Give me all the details." I wrote every detail that they gave me, which was actually a lot. There was a band of ten Strigoi. These were the same ones responsible for the prior attacks in the area. I was given the location and time of the next attack. I tore the pages from my note book and handed them to Tamera.

"I need to be with my family but I know that you will be able to take care of this." I quickly explained to the others what I had been told.

~~*~~

I breathed in a long breath the moment we were back within the safety of the lodge wards. I carried Isabela in my arms and asked carmine to bring Arianna to my suite. It was midnight for us so if figured that my family would be asleep but instead everyone was there waiting for me. I motioned for Carmine to put Arianna down in the smaller bedroom. There was a full sized bed as well as a crib in there. Adrian carefully took Isabela.

"Thank you, Adrian; the older one is injured, could you?"

He nodded and joined Carmine. Theresa was in Janine's arms fussing. The moment she heard my voice she began to wail loudly. I rushed over to her and took her in my arms. I tiredly sank into the nearest chair. I took a few moments to talk to my daughter before I addressed my family, I took the blanket she was wrapped in and set it aside for a moment. The men all averted their eyes while I began to feed my baby. I took the blanket and used it to cover us both.

"I take it she didn't want the bottle?" I asked; Janine chuckled in reply.

"She drank your expressed milk but when we ran out she would have none of the formula. I just got her calm when she heard you." I peeked under the blanket.

"Mommy's poor staving baby, I am sorry I was gone so long." I watched her for several long minutes. I thought of the family who I had just seen. Then I looked at my mom. I shook my head.

"It was horrible eight people lost their lives. Those children were the lucky ones. Well one of them was more than the other." Adrian walked into the room with a puzzled look on his face. I knew that he could see the resemblance between both girls and Lissa. I was also sure he could see by Arianna's aura that she was a spirit wielder. I looked at him and nodded.

"Lissa, I don't know how to tell you this but you are the next of kin for those two little girls. Their mother was a Dragomir she was your Aunt Ester. Their father was an Ozera but he had no siblings. They went into hiding thirteen years ago." Lissa covered her face in Christian's chest. "I am so sorry Lissa"

Through the bond I could feel her grief. She wished that she had known that she still had family and to lose them before ever getting to know them was tragic. She remembered the pain of losing her brother and parents. She felt the loss that the girls would have to deal with.

"Lissa I believe that the older one, Arianna is a Spirit wielder. She is unconscious and has been since I found them. The other one looks like she has been healed. They are going to need our guidance." Lissa looked at me and nodded.

~~*~~

I felt someone staring at me. I opened my eyes to see Isabela looking at me. She was standing close to my bed, loneliness filled her sad eyes.

"Do you want to lay down with us?" She nodded her head and her soft curls bounced. I pulled the covers back and let her crawl into bed with us. She snuggled close to me and buried her face in my chest. I could feel her body move as she sobbed and her tears seeped into my silk top.

"Oh honey, it's ok the bad guys are gone. I will take care of you and keep them away." Adrian lifted his head and reached over to pat her back. She cried for a while, when she could cry no more she fell asleep. I lay next to her for a while watching her sleep.

It was 10 pm and I had to start my day. I pulled myself away from her and got ready. Once I was showered and dressed I called Lissa. She had also slept in. We arranged to meet here in an hour.

I finished my paper work for yesterdays Investigation and walked it to the briefing room I had used yesterday. There were several guardians working over a schematic. The one who had tried to embarrass me the day before was standing alone marking the rout to the address on a map. Great, the last person I wanted to see. Unfortunately he seemed to be the least busy.

"Guardian Roberts, who do I give my report too?"

"Guardian Hathaway, I was hoping to see you today. I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It took me a long time to get posted on this team and I was a little insulted that you who had never been trained were asked to lead our team. I thought you were getting special treatment from the queen. I realize now that she asked you because she knew you were capable of the job."

"I am probably the last person the queen would give special treatment to."

"Well she seems to hold you in high esteem." This was news to me.

"Until recently, she hardly ever even spoke to me and it was never kindly. I assure you that any respect she shows me now is because I have had to earn it."

"This morning I got a call from her; telling me off for speaking to you that way. She said that she owed you her life. Are you the one who was there when Guardian Speers turned?" I nodded. From the look on his face he had heard some details but wanted to ask me questions.

"I have to get going. Here is my full report." With that I walked away. Really the last thing I want to do is talk about the battles I've had.

Lissa was already I my room talking Isabela. The little child who had been so shy with me was talking away to Lissa. It must have been the comfort of family resemblance to her mother. She saw me and ran to me and took my hand. She dragged me over to Lissa.

"This is my Rosemarie. She is going to keep the bad guys away from us. She held my hand so tightly.

"Rose is my best friend in the whole world. She keeps the bad guys away from me too. Because you and Arianna are my family you can live with me. I live with Rose and her husband. Would you like that?

I watched her honey colored curls bounce then she looked up at me with a big relived smile. Suddenly her face changed and she asked  
"What about Caramel? I can't leave him here the bad men might come back." I got down at her level.

"Who is Caramel?"

"He is my horse. If we leave the horses here they will be all alone. Who will take care of them?" Suddenly she began to cry."

"Let me talk to my husband maybe he can help us figure out what to do." I tried to walk away but she still held my hand. "I'll be back." She did not want to let me go but Lissa came to my rescue.

"Isabela, would you like to have a tea party?" With that she let go of me and allowed me to walk away. I found Adrian in the other room talking on the phone. I waited patiently till he was done. He closed his phone and kissed me.

"We will leave at daybreak for home. Auntie wants to know why you did not inform her about the insubordination of Guardian Roberts when you called her. Guardian Johnson who is the leader of the team gave her a glowing report; she said that you handled yourself with dignity and performed as well as a seasoned Guardian." He gave me a look of pride and kissed me again. I stayed in his embrace for a few moments. I pulled away just enough to look at his face.

"Adrian, what do you know about horses?"

"I used to ride regularly. They really are wonderful animals." He had a quizzical look on his face.

"I think we are going to need a barn. The family had 5 horses and I think it would traumatize the girls if they have to lose something ells that they love."

"You want to adopt five large animals, with the number of Dhampirs in our home?" I knew he would do anything I asked. I nodded. "Let me make arrangements to have them picked up today."

"I want to go back and get some of the girl's things. I am going to ask Guardian Johnson as well as Ivan and Allan to go with me."

"Let me make the call and you can be there when they retrieve the horses."

I nodded and went to play with Theresa. She was still little enough that she mostly slept but the stretches of time that she was awake were getting longer. She would smile at me when I talked to her even while nursing. Her smile was so beautiful; it was cute the way that her little fangs shown thin and gleaming against of her pink gums. It didn't bother me that she took blood with her milk. I didn't get high from it and it was just part of me giving my baby what she needed. My body healed from the bites very quickly. Adrian came up to us and began to coo at her. Her smile grew wider. I loved to watch them interact together. He was a good father. I handed her over to him. Before playing with her again he let me know that the arrangements were made.

"The truck will be there at 3 am. That should give you plenty of time to find the girl's things before you meet the man who will be loading the horses. They will be driven to our house and should arrive in 3 days time. I have a temporary building being erected but I will have a proper barn built for them in no time."

"Thank you sweetie, I know that this will help the girls feel better. I am going to let the others know that we are ready to go."


	27. Conversations

thank you for your patients Here is my next Chapter. I am getting close to the point that I think I might want to write a continuation rather than continue with this story beyond about 30 chapters. Please let me know what you think.

Thank you Theresa for the Purple Rose you gave me.

I hope every one enjoys this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 27: Conversations

Adrian and I drove out to the cabin an hour before sunrise. It was Adrian's habit to open doors for me so I stayed put and waited for him to come around. As I exited the car he asked me if I would be safe alone with Dimitri because he wanted to give us a chance to talk as friends without having an audience. I quietly called on the ghost of Miss Carp, who said that Dimitri was doing well and safe for now.

"Adrian I will be safe with him, thank you for the moment with him I won't be too long." He nodded his head

I walked up the steps and knocked on the door. When Dimitri answered the door he was surprised to see me standing alone. He looked around and spotted Adrian sitting in the car reading a book.

"Why are you coming alone?" His curiosity was clear on his face? This was the first time any of us had visited him alone. It was almost always Adrian, Eddie and I who came together and the few times that ether I or Adrian could not come Eddie was always with us.

"Adrian wanted to give us a chance to talk." Dimitri stepped aside and let me enter. I crossed to the small couch and made myself comfortable

"I have some tea I could make you a cup"

"Yes please."

He grabbed a cup from the cupboard and a box of herbal tea. I recognized that it was the kind that I drank in the morning instead of coffee. I watched him pour the water in and nuke the cup for a minute. He brought out a small jar of sugar and put three teaspoons in before stirring it.

"Dimitri I know that Adrian brought the supplies but did he, tell you how I like my tea?"

"That is a Guardian secret Rose." I had to smile at his joke. He handed me the tea then stoked the fire in the fireplace.

"You know I am a Guardian now too, so I should know these precious secrets of yours." He chuckled softly. This was the first time I had heard the warmth of laughter in his voice in nearly a year.

"I used to watch you all the time. You like your tea with 3 Spoons of sugar and about an ounce of cream. Unfortunately all I have is blood in my refrigerator. You like your coffee when you dirink it, sweeter, 5 spoons of sugar and with twice as much cream. Hot chocolate you like the way I made it for you once two packets of cocoa per cup of hot water, but only you like yours not so hot." He gave me a smug look. This made me laugh.

"Ok, my lip gloss, how did you buy it I was watching you the whole time?" The day that we had gone shopping in Missoula with Natalie and Viktor Dashkov, Dimitri had surprised me with a lip gloss to replace the one that I had run out of.

"I passed a note to a teenage girl asking her to buy the brand and color of lip gloss. I had a twenty dollar bill attached and I told her she could keep the change. I was not sure if she would pull through or just keep my money but I gave it a shot." He gave me a dark but curious look.

"I have wanted to know, how did you know to be prepared on Thanksgiving?" This question was not a light one but I wanted to keep this conversation light so I opted for a joke. Just like with Lissa I did the sixth sense bit. Unfortunately he didn't get it.

"Oh Come On Comrade, I have been to Siberia is not that much of an arctic wasteland. The Sixth sense was a huge hit. You had to have seen that movie." This must have provoked a memory.

"Oh Yeva liked that one but it had a voiceover in Russian. The line would have been ( Я вижу мертвых людей.) He mimicked the tone that the kid in the movie had used but instead of English he said it in Russian. With that we both began laughing hysterically. Once we regained ourselves he got a little serious again.

"Rose do the ghosts attack you like they did before?" He looked worried for me.

"No I can communicate with them now. Sometimes they get a little curious because they know that I should be dead and they can tell that I am not undead. If they get annoying Sonya Carp tells them to bug off."

"Sonya Carp, the Stigoi?"

"Her lover finally caught up to her about six months ago. She found me soon after and she has been my guardian ghost ever since. Her lover couldn't live with the guilt of killing her even though she was Strigoi so he committed suicide with his own stake. When I heard that I was glad that I missed my mark." I looked away because I didn't want him to see the tears forming in my eyes. He reached for my face and gently turned it to face him. He gently wiped the tears way and kissed my eyes. I could tell that he wanted desperately to kiss me full on the lips but instead he pulled me into an embrace.

"Oh my Roza, I have hurt you so much. Even before I was turned into this monster, I hurt you. So many times that I pushed you away, instead I should have taken you into my arms. I should have never even considered Tasha's offer." I stayed in his arms for a few minutes till I composed myself. Then another question occurred to me.

"How much does she know? Did you tell her about us?" He gave me a sheepish smile.

"When I declined her offer I told her that I was in love with another Guardian. You know she looked at me right in the eyes and said. "Oh she is not a Guardian yet Mr. Belikov she is an underage Novice." I was so shocked that I spilled my tea. "I know that she was disappointed but she was happy for me."

"Does she know that we were intimate?"

"I told her about the lust charm and that I nearly went too far too fast. But she knew that I intended to wait till you had graduated before exploring anythig physical. Why do you ask?"

"I will be working with her starting tomorrow. I haven't seen her since the well you remember. If you had taken her up on that offer you would still be yourself. I should have been happy for you. I should have let you go. I hope she doesn't blame me for your being turned. I know sometimes I blame myself."

There was a soft tap on the door. Dimitri stood and crossed to open the door but as he did he continued to talk to me.

"Natasha Ozera is a very sweet woman I have always known her to be very understanding and forgiving. Give her a chance. If you need to, explain to her what you are doing for me. I doubt she would want to come here but I will go to the wards to talk to her there."

"Um we have ten minutes till sunrise." Adrian spoke from the doorway.

"Oh I am sorry Adrian, you were right I really did need a chance to talk with Dimitri. I will be done in five minutes."

No problem. He stepped out the door to give us some privacy. Dimitri fed from me as usual, physically everything was normal but as I sent him the tender love that I felt for him I could feel that he was trying to control the passionate love he felt for me.

He cleaned and dressed my wound but the whole time I could see him fighting the urge to kiss me. I leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I am so sorry Dimitri. I am sorry that I could not save you in that cave. I am sorry that I moved on and you are stuck in this situation." I touched his cheek.

"Rose, I may be sad for myself but I see how happy you are and I am happy for you. I can see how much you have grown up and I am proud of you." He touched my cheek and walked me to the door.

I walked out and joined Adrian by the car. I know I had tears in my eyes but he said nothing as he opened my door.

When we got home I took Theresa from Janine. I dressed her for bed and fed her. Once she was settled I got myself ready. Adrian was already asleep but I knew that would not be an issue. I snuggled close to him and he embraced me. I fell asleep easily and found myself in a meadow. There waiting for me on a large blanket was my husband.

~~*~~

My alarm went off at 5:30 PM. My stomach was a bundle of nerves; I was to start work for the Queen today. I showered and dressed. Theresa was awake and smiling at her mobile when I went to crib. She looked at me and made a happy little coo. I talked to her softly as I fed, and dressed her. I gathered her diaper bag and brought her downstairs with me. Adrian was in the kitchen with Helen getting breakfast made and lunches packed. Christian and Nicolai were already eating. I poured hot water in a cup with my tea bag. I mixed in my sugar and cream before settling down at the table. Adrian brought me a plate with French toast, bacon and eggs.

"You are really too good to me, but I love it." I kissed him on the cheek. "Adrian Honey, I have to go see Dimitri again to make up for being gone so long. Since I have Theresa with me I was thinking of taking her to see him, if it's safe that it is. Could you drive out with us? I can drop you back off before we leave for Court."

"Sure but I will go with you to Court. I want to do some shopping anyway. Then we can have lunch together." He knew how nervous about seeing Tasha today.

"Thank you that sounds good. Well hurry up guys I wanna leave ASAP. I ate quickly and we were in the car just before sundown. As soon as we were out the wards I pulled the car over and called on Sonya Carp. Adrian and Eddie were used to seeing me talk to the ghosts but the chris and Nicolai looked a bit uncomfortable. I ignored them and asked her how in control he is. She told me that he was still hanging on and in control.

I started the car again and drove to the cabin. As I parked the door opened. Dimitri's silhouette stood in the door. The soft glow of a fire came from behind. Adrian came first to open my door then to get Theresa out of the car. Christian wanted to give us some family time so he opted to stay in the car but Nicolai said he would stand guard outside just in case we needed him.

In the dim light I could see Dimitri's face light up when he saw our little bundle in Adrian's arms. I smiled at him, from the corner of my eye I could see Adrian smiling too. We walked up together. Dimitri hugged us both and thanked us for bringing her.

"Dimitri I knew that you were longing to see her."

He welcomed us in to the cabin and offered us some Tea. Both Adrian and I accepted. The whole time he made the tea he looked at the sleeping bundle. When he brought the tea I stood up and took his hand.

"Let me feed you first then you can spend time with your daughter." Adrian busied himself by getting the gauze and alcohol pad ready for Dimitri to clean me up after feeding. Adrian was not upset that I fed Dimitri. I shared all my feelings with him and he understood that I did this to help my child's father, just as I had Lissa years ago. He busied himself for Dimitri's sake.

Dimitri was gentle as ever but from him I felt an urgency to hurry so that he could spend time with his child. I could feel his love for me but mixed in with the love he has for me, was the love he has for his child. It occurred to me that all this time, whenever I was in close proximity to him I could feel his feelings. He finished feeding and carefully cleaned and dried my wound.

"Now go see your daughter. She has been waiting for you." Adrian handed her over to him and I sat next down with Adrian. Without a word Adrian put a hand on my neck and healed the wound as I watched Dimitri with Theresa. She had woken up when she was handed form one dad to the other. She looked at Dimitri for a moment then broke out is a huge smile, fangs and all. I chuckled at his astonishment. She gurgled at him and he laughed before excitedly speaking Russian baby talk. Adrian started to translate for me. She played with him for a while but then began to fuss and give her hungry cry. Dimitri gave me a distressed look.

"She may be 2/3 Moroi but her appetite is all Dhampir." He handed her to me as Adrian handed me another blanket from her bag. I covered us so that I could have some privacy to feed her. Though I'm not shy about nursing; the fact of the matter was that I knew how much Dimitri longed for me. Even though I know that Dimitri would not have thought of my feeding our baby as a sexual turn on, it still felt wrong to expose myself to him. After her breakfast and a diaper change I had t get going to work.

"Thank you Rose for bringing her to me. I will hold on for her and for you both." He kissed my cheek and Theresa's head. Then he hugged Adrian.

~~*~~

The administrative offices were in the same building as the queens, office and sitting room. Tatiana Occupied the top floor while the administrative offices were on the first three. Chris and I arrived on the 3rd floor and were greeted by a receptionist. She showed me to my office and introduced me to my assistant. Then she showed Chris to his. Adrian took Theresa to the day care which was on the second floor.

I had just begun to settle into my office when my assistant Denise walked in with a message.

"Lady Ivashkov, the Queen would like to see you in her sitting room in five min."

"Please let her know that I am on my way."

I took the stairs up wondering why she asked to see me. Before I could say anything to the guardian at the reception desk he stood and opened the door for me. She was seated in her usual seat but there were no guardians or friends in the room. I bowed to her and took a seat. She offered me tea and to be polite I took it. She sat down and sipped her tea. She looked at me nervously; as if she was afraid to speak. I sipped my tea and waited for her to talk." A moment later she set her cup on the saucer.

I set mine down as well.

"May I call you Rose? I know that you prefer it to Rosemarie."

"Yes your Highness." She nodded softly.

"Rose I want to start things out on the right foot with you. I have done so many things against you and your familiy. You on the other hand have always put others first. I feel that I need to be honest with you. I have been looking into your background since I had suspected that you and Adrian had started a fling. Since the day that you and Adrian came to tell me that you were dating till the day you saved me from Gregory, I have been having you watched."

This could not be good but I kept my guardian mask in place.

"Oh?" It was all I was capable of saying.

"I need to let you know that I do not intend on doing harm to you or anyone involved. I just want you to know that I know that your beautiful baby is not Adrian's child."

"I assure you that a DNA test will prove that she is an Ivashkov."

"Oh yes I am sure it would. I see enough Ivashkov in her to know that she is my great grand niece. I also see some Belikov in her as well."

My heart stopped. I knew that she knew enough that I could no longer lie to her.

"I am sorry. It was necessary to lie to the world at the time. May I ask, how you figured it out, it's supposed to be impossible?"

"First of all I when you were in school asked for reports about your progress. Your mentor thought he was making them for Kirkova but they were sent directly to me. I learned of many or your Shadow kissed gifts and burdens'. I have to say that I noticed that Guardian Belikov writes the R in Rose with a little bit of a flourish."

She took another sip of tea. I was too nervous to follow suit. She took another deep breath and continued.

"Then when Adrian had funded your trip to Russia I asked him to come here. I am ashamed to say that I plied him with so much liquor before questioning him about the nature of your relationship. He swore up and down that you two were just friends. He told me that you had been stuck on someone else for months and would not give him the time of day. He also said that he was hoping that would change when you returned. I realized that you must have had something going on with your mentor; otherwise you wouldn't have gone looking for him."

She took another sip of tea. I could tell that she was not trying to be malicious but knowing her history I was still worried.

"Later when Adrian brought you here and you both told me that you were dating I suspected that you might be pregnant. Though at the time I thought you were only a month and that it was Adrian's child. I spoke to a friend of mine about it and she advised me not to say or do anything. So I didn't."

"Could I ask who you talked too?" I wondered who could have been my silent helper.

"I will tell you that in a moment. Rose when I went to your wedding a lot of the pieces fell into place. The moment I saw you walk down the Aisle I realized that you were much farther along than the 2 ½ months I had previously suspected. I saw the Belikov family there and how they treated you as a member of their family I knew I had been right about your relationship with Guardian Belikov."

"Your Highness, I am truly sorry that we lied to you."

"Rose do you know who Rhonda is?"

"Yes she told me that I would kill that which is dead and to Dimitri, I mean Guardian Belikov, she told him that he would lose that which he treasured most. Very shortly after that he lost his soul. "

"Well she told me that you and Adrian were supposed to be on this path together. She told me to just sit back and let the future unfold. I did as she told me and I began to observe that you were the best thing that ever happened to my nephew. I have seen him put a stop to all his vices. Instead of just spending through his trust fund like water now he is using his degree in business to make money instead of spending it. In short I have seen him finally grow up."

"He grew up for himself as well as for me and my baby. He loves my child as his own. I am so amazed by his love every day."

"I can see that you both love and care for each other very much. I also realize that Adrian had to be fully aware of the true origin of this child from the beginning and if I had done anything to expose your secret I would have lost him just as I had lost my granddaughter."

I took my cup of tea and sipped it. I wondered if I should tell her the other secret that we were hiding. If she finds out on her own it might be worse for all of us than if I told her myself.

"Your highness I have another secret I need to tell you."

She raised her eyebrow. Damn I really want to figure out how to do that. I took a deep breath

"When I was in Russia I did try to kill Strigoi Dimitri but I failed. After I was rescued by my father and some friends, I learned that there is a way to use Spirit to turn a Strigoi back into a Dhampir. Adrian and I have been searching for the way to do this."

"Well that explains all the books that Abe is bringing you. How is the search going?"

"Let's just say it is a work in progress so far."

"Rose I am only going to say this once. If you hurt my nephew I will not go gently on you."

"I love Adrian. I won't leave him nor would I perposely do anything that hurts him."

"Good."

She nodded and dismissed me. I bowed to her and made my exit. Once I left her the full weight of the conversation hit me. I prayed that she would never use this against me or my loved ones. My stomach knotted up and I ran for the bathroom.

~~*~~

I was just leaving the ladies room when I literally ran into Tasha Ozera.

"Hello Guardian Hathaway." Her voice was polite but lacking the warmth I remember it having. Great she did blame me.

"Hello there, Tasha. I was wondering if we could talk. I think we need to sort some things out so that we can work together cohesively. "

"I agree." With that I led her to my office. Before entering I asked Denise if she could please get me a snack of Saltine crackers and Ginger ale.

"Please Tasha I want to hear what you know and what you think happened." My straight forward question caught her off guard but she quickly recovered. She proceeded to tell me that I should have encouraged Dimitri to take her offer. If he had chosen her he would still be alive and could even be a father by now; instead of being undead somewhere. I agreed with her that he would still be a Dhampir if he chose her. I told her that on the roof of the Lodge I had told him to take her offer. That had been a surprise to her. She also told me that she was very disappointed that I could have been unfaithful to Dimitri. She had believed the lie that Adrian and I wanted the world to believe; she thought I had been with Adrian back in march when the queen had accused me of dating him. The main reason we had kept the paternity a secret was because we were afraid that Dimitri would try to take us. Now that he was somewhat in control of himself and he knew she was his child I was not afraid to tell Tasha. It was difficult for me but I explained to her about the shadow kissed surprise that I named Theresa. I told her why we lied. I could tell that she still was not sure if she believed me. She knew that Dimitri would be very careful not to go too far with me till after I graduated from the Academy; and she knew how stubborn he was when me made up his mind.

"Tasha, would you do me a favor and come to dinner at my house tonight. I know Christian and Lissa would love to see you. After dinner I would like to take a walk and introduce you to a friend of mine."

"Ok, I would like to visit with Chris and Lissa. I have not met the girls that Lissa is adopting."

We spent the rest of the morning working on planning how to create and integrate our respective programs. We both had hundreds of resumes of potential teachers to sift through. We decided to help each other. Around 10 pm Adrian popped his head in my office. He had a fussy Theresa with him.

"Snack time for the Little Dhampir, she is not happy with the expressed milk."

(She probably needs fresh blood.) I thought this to Adrian and he gave me a nod.

"Tasha, do you mind if I double task?" Tasha was intently reading a resume for a potential teacher.

"By all means go ahead." She kept her eyes on her work as Adrian handed me the baby and I got her situated.

"Adrian, you should go visit Aunt Tatiana. She and I had a conversation this morning. She wanted to let me know that she is very well informed about some very personal business." I nodded my head towards Theresa. Tasha looked up and saw both my gesture as well has Adrian's reaction. "I felt it important to tell her about the research before she figures that out too." (I didn't tell her that we have him charmed and living close to us.)

"I will be back in a while." With that he was gone. Tasha didn't say anything about the cryptic exchange between Adrian and me but I felt like she was watching me out of the corner of her eyes. I continued to read over resumes as I fed my daughter. When Theresa was done I burped her and laid her down in her Moses basket where she went instantly to sleep.

"Tasha, could you please watch the baby for a minute."

I ran out the door before even hearing her say yes or no. I wonder what the date on my creamer was. I am feeling sick and I had a period just a few weeks ago, I am not due for my next one for a week so I know I am not pregnant again. I did what I had to do then, rinsed out my mouth. On my way back to my office I asked Denise if she could please get me more crackers and ginger ale. I decided to wait for her return so I could take them with me. When I returned to my office Tasha was holding Theresa and looking at her intently. She looked at me with a bit of confusion.

"Sorry for running out like that. I think I have food poisoning. Did she wake up?"

"Yes she started to fuss shortly after you left. She must have had a gas bubble. When I picked her up she burped then stopped crying."

She looked back down at my baby. I wondered if she saw what I saw when I looked at her. Theresa had my mother's curls, my hair color and according to my mother my cheeks. She had the Ivashkov ears and chin; but her eyes and mouth were Belikov as were her little hands. I decided to try to get her to say what she saw in my baby's features.

"She is such a little miracle. I think she looks a lot like her father." With that Tasha looked at me with wide eyes.

"Rose, may I ask you… how…how intimate were you and Dimitri?" I smiled at her as I reached out to my baby. As she handed me Theresa the baby smiled at me with her gummy full fang smile. Tasha's breath caught but she said nothing.

"I don't know how much he told you but well we were in love. We fought our feeling but well sometimes you can only fight so much."

"I talked to him a few days before the attack. He had been worried about your strange behavior. I asked him how involved the two of you were. He told me that he was planning to transfer to court so that you could be able to explore the relationship without the conflict of guarding Lissa. I was under the impression that it had not gone passed making out."

"That night several hours before the attack; the effect of Lissa's shadows had driven me well kinda crazy. Alberta told him to clean me up and calm me down. I was so crazed and he tried a few ways to calm me down but the only thing that worked was when he let down his guard and showed me how much he loved me. Once I was calmed down we kissed and well…"

I smiled at Theresa and she smiled and gave me her happy coo. Adrian popped his head in.

"Are you ready for Lunch?" I nodded and gathered Theresa's things. Tasha walked out with us.

"See you at dinner?"

"Sure thing." With that we parted ways.

* * *

Do you think it was a good thing that Adrian gave Rose and Dimitri a chance to talk privatly?

Why do you think that the Queen never did say anythig about Dimitri and rose being together before?

What Will the Queen think when she finds out that Dimitri has been staying as a guest of Rose and Adrian's while he was still Strigoi?

How come Tasha was reluctant to believe that Rose had been faithful to Dimitri?

What will Tasha think when she finds out that Dimitri is around. Will she be afraid to talk to him? Will she try to persue him now that Rose is married?

Should I end this Story soon and begin a continuation or countinue with this story?

Suzanna  
AKA the SnowGoose


	28. Penence

**The usual disclamer stands I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.**

* * *

_**Chapter: 28 Penance**_

Lissa POV

Journal Entry  
March 1

Wow has my life changed. I have a better understanding of Rose. When she learned that she was pregnant she changed. The way she made decisions changed. It had been hard for me to understand what she was going through.

Everything she did, she did it with her baby in mind. Arianna and Isabela are not my children biologically but they are my family and I have adopted them. Chris and I came to the decision together. Now at the age of 18 I am the mother of an 8 yr old Spirit wielder and her 3 yr old Shadow kissed sister. I decided that I could not send them off to an Academy yet. They know very little about the Moroi world. My aunt and uncle decided to go into hiding shortly after Christian's parents turned Strigoi. These children were razed living in the human world. They had been home schooled by their mother. If I sent them to an academy they would have felt unwanted. I have arranged to have them tutored at court. This way Rose and I will both be close in case they need us.

Arianna is quiet while Isabela is more outgoing. Rose told me that Isabela might be a little bit on the reckless side because since her soul has been to the other side it will want to live life to the fullest. I guess that is why Rose was always so reckless herself. I worry about both girls. I know how hard it was for me when the shadows from spirit made me feel depressed and crazy; I don't want Arianna to ever feel that way. I saw the toll that being shadow kissed has taken on Rose and I worry that little Isabela might have to suffer like that. Rose and I were 15 when we became bonded but these girls are so much younger. I really am surprised that Arianna was able to call on spirit at such a young age. In the academies they don't even begin to teach elemental magic until freshman year of high school. Somewhere around 14 or 15 is usually when a Moroi will begin to specialize in one element over the others.

I know that it will be expected that we move to court when I am crowned but I really don't want to take the girls away from here. Rose and Isabela or Izzy belly button, as Rose calls her are very attached to each other. I feel safe here with Rose, even with her Strigoi ex boyfriend living just beyond the wards.

I am just amazed at my best friend. She has grown and changed so much. Without even trying she has begun to change the way that people think. It is because she had made the decision to fight with Christian during the Stigoi attack last March that people have begun to accept the idea of Moroi fighting alongside Guardians. Because she has stood her ground with the Queen she has earned respect for her marriage and paved the way for others. I know that she is meant to do great things. I fear that there will be a time when I will have to let her go, a time when it will be better for our world for her to be more than just my Guardian.

This month Rose will be out of town a lot. She has to go interview prospective teachers with Tasha and Christian. She is really worried about having to leave Dimitri so much. Again I find myself amazed at my best friend. Rose told me that Dimitri needs at least a little blood every few days from a living donor. Because her body is prepped to nurse a baby Moroi she is the best choice to feed Dimitri too. She feeds him every other day. When she is gone for more than 2 days she will feed him twice the day before and the day she gets home. When we were on our own she had to feed me because we had no access to feeders. She hated that her body reacted to the endorphins in my saliva. She did it to keep me healthy because of her love for me, even though she didn't like it. When Rose was gone on her search for Dimitri, Adrian would try to Dream walk with her. One night he saw that her neck was all marked up with bites some old some fresh. He had figured out the truth and told me. When Rose was being held by Dimitri he had used her. He fed off of her and kept her week and high, because of that she nearly lost her life. Now she feeds him willingly. Thankfully her body does not react to the endorphins. I can feel her when she feeds him; she is filled with such strong feelings of love. The intensity of her love is a lot like the intensity of my happiness when I wield Spirit.

Adrian has handled the whole Dimitri situation very surprisingly. He goes out of his way to make sure that Dimitri has everything he needs. He has done his best to keep a place in Theresa's life for her Daddy Dimitri. He encourages Rose to have a friendship with him. Adrian knows that Rose sends Dimitri love during the feedings. I have over heard them talk about it. He asked her what was different about the way she loved Dimitri and what she felt for him. She told him that among other things the biggest difference is that she no longer feels the passion and desire that she once had for Dimitri now she feels that for Adrian.

My first two weeks at court have gone well. Thankfully Rose has a very large SUV. Our morning commute consists of Rose and me in the front. The girls and Theresa had the middle row, and Janine and Eddie in the back. Nicolai asked Abe if he could be assigned to guard Christian because Chris still did not have a designated Guardian. So Nicolai and Chris have to take a second car. I am glad that Chris now has a guardian I want my future husband to be safe. When I tried to talk him into pushing for a guardian he told me that he lives in a house full of Guardians and that he seldom goes anywhere without me so he really didn't need one.

~*~

I closed my journal and Looked out my window. I could see Christian and the girls out in the paddock with the horses. I bundled up and joined my family.

~~~*~~~

Dimitri POV

A few weeks later.

I lay there on my bed looking at the picture of Rose and me training. I feel like time moves so slowly. I have too much time on my hands to think. The Monster that I have become torments me. I can remember every face every voice, every person I have killed. So many innocent people, well I suppose some of them were not so innocent. I had taken pleasure in being the final judge when I would see someone committing a crime against another. A few times I came across men in the act of rape, I thought nothing of draining them and using my compulsion to make it hurt. I don't regret stopping them from hurting the woman that they were violating but I do wish I had been able to stop at just beating them up. Now the thought of their blood inside me makes me sick. The monster wants to go back out and kill. I fight against it.

I am so lonely. I do get visitors, mostly Rose, Adrian and Eddie. Sasha comes with them once a week to check on me and take a sample of blood from me. Lissa and Chris have sent letters but have not come to see me. Lissa has said that she knows I don't want a lot of people to see me in this condition and she is right but I wonder if part of it is because she is afraid of me. She should be the monster wants me to kill her.

Sometimes Tasha comes over but I won't allow her in unless she has a guardian with her so she brings Eddie. I did miss her but I have to admit that she is starting to piss me off. She has asked if I would reconsider her offer once I am healed. I had to tell her that there is no way I will leave my child. She has tried to reason with me. I have to admit that her arguments are not without merit. She lives at Court and will for the foreseeable future, I would not be far from Theresa. Rose is now a married woman who is very obviously in love with her husband (my brother) therefore she is off limits. It would be awkward to live in the home of my ex girlfriend (who I still love as much as ever) and her family.

Part of me would like to take her Tasha's offer. I wish sometimes I could leave now. It is so difficult being so close to Rose and not being able to touch her. I long to hold her like I did before, I was such a fool to have waited so long to make her mine. It was not the sex that made her mine that night in the cabin; it was finally letting go and accepting her love.

To see her now so in love with Adrian, is a pain I never knew I could feel. Oddly enough I do not feel animosity towards my brother. In fact I am very grateful to him for taking care of my Roza. He has protected and provided for her and my child in ways I could not have.

The Monster wants me to hurt her. He can see that she is something remarkable, she is already quite dangerous to Strigoi but if given the chance to develop into her abilities she is really going to be formidable. I have been feeling the monster fighting me for control. He howls in frustration whenever I am in the presents of Roza. He can feel the effect she has on me, I Dimitri, feel stronger with her. He wants me to kill her and drain her, oh how her blood tastes, no other can compare to her.

I wish I could kill this monster without killing myself. I know that I would hurt my Roza if I hurt myself. She loves me, more than she did before. Her love for me is something so amazing; there are no words that could possibly describe it right. I can feel it when she feeds me. It radiates through her and it flows from her blood. It is like she becomes love. The fire and Passion she once felt for me are dormant in her. No matter I live for the love she has for me.

From what Rose has told me I now have a connection to my soul. It is not the full connection that I had before but what she did with the charms was give my soul the chance to control the Strigoi; the monster. I find it Ironic that the thing that most makes me a full on vampire is the act of taking blood from a living being. Yet it is this very act that has helped me fight against the monster. Not just any ones blood, her blood. Adrian and Eddie have both fed me when Rose was gone on business for more than four days. The blood that they give me helps keep my body strong but does nothing to strengthen my connection to my soul.

There is a vehicle turning onto the gravel path to my cabin. I know that will be Roza and Theresa. She is leaving again and this time she will be gone for a whole week. This is the longest trip yet. Sasha has given her permission to feed me more before leaves and when she comes back, three feedings 12 hours apart for five full minutes each time. This will be the third and last feeding till she gets back. I can tell that it takes a toll on her to give me so much at once. This morning she seemed to get light headed. Adrian guided her to the couch and gave her a bottle of vitamin water that he brought with him. It worries me that she is so willing to help me but I dare not refuse her. I have wasted too much time pushing her away.

Eddie will be coming mid week to feed me and bring a fresh supply of donor blood. I hate taking from him more than I do from Rose. Despite what I did to her in Russia she gives to me willingly and lovingly. Eddie and Rose are very close. They are not as close as she and Lissa but I can tell that he is her best male friend. He feeds me because she needs him to. I remember the condition he was in when they escaped from the Stigoi in Spokane, those memories must haunt him. When he offers me his neck I can see that despite the guardian mask he puts on he cannot keep himself from trembling and wincing when I lean in for the bite. I admire his bravery but I feel like the monster I have become when I take from him.

Rose's car parks outside of my small cabin, I stand and go to the door. I watch as Adrian pulls the cooler full of blood out of the back of Roses Durango. Rose brings me my daughter. Theresa grows so much every time I see her she looks different. Sasha has no answers as to why but our daughter grows at almost twice the normal speed. She is only three months but she looks and acts like a six month old. I play with my baby till Adrian is done with the blood. He reaches out to her and asked her if she would go to daddy Adrian so that mommy can help Daddy Dimitri. She leaned and reached out to him.

"Rose may need to lay down for a few after. Maybe you should go to the other room so she won't have a long way to walk." Rose takes my hand and leads me away. I can't help but feel awkward as we enter the bed room. I don't sleep but I spend hours in here looking at the pictures on my night stand. She turns and stands before me; she has a sad smile on her face.

"Why are you sad my Roza?"

"I am worried about you. I wish I didn't have to go but I have to interview over two hundred potential teachers with Tasha and Christian. I have to start filling positions soon so I have to get the interviews over with." I wrapped my arms around her. I could feel her sink into me. I kissed the top of her head. She stepped back and offered me her neck. Her hair was up in a French twist. I whispered to her.

"Thank you for everything Roza."I leaned in and pressed my lips to her soft skin. I opened my mouth and let my fans come down then I gently sank then into her. She gave a soft moan of pain but did not flinch away from me, she never did. I began to count in my head as I drank. I could almost see the things she thought of as she sent me her love. At three minutes I was about to pull away but she placed her hand behind my head.

"You need five minutes," she held me in place I felt her sway slightly but she refused to let me go. I wrapped my arms around her and held her up. Once my five minutes were up I forced my head up. Her hand fell to my shoulder. She looked up at me with a small smile on her lips. She was still sending me her love and I felt it for the briefest moment, desire, she must have remembered one of our few passionate moments. I lifted her in my arms and laid her on my bed. I took a blanket from the foot of the bed and covered her.

"Tell Adrian to get me in half an hour." Her eyes closed. I left her in the room and went to confront her husband. He sat on the couch holding our sleeping child.

"How could you let her do this?" I could hardly contain my anger. He looked up at me. I could see that he has learned to use a guardian mask but I could see the pain and sadness he felt and barely contained.

"She needs to do this for you."

"She is your wife. Why should you be allowing her to put herself in harm's way for me? Don't give me the excuse that the baby needs her father. She has you to care for the child."

"I know that she is your wife too. She needs to help you because she is going to need you." I froze. He continued speaking.

"Yeva explained it to me when they first came here. Because Dhampir marriages are not accepted by Moroi society you have your own traditions on marriage. Rose herself had told me before we were married that according to tradition she was your widow. The fact that we intended to turn you back into a Dhampir well according to Yeva she is still your wife. You never intended on leaving her and she never gave up on you. That is why the charmed ring I gave you looks like my wedding ring."

I sank into the couch beside him and looked down at my hand. The ring sat on my left finger. Tasha had given it a funny look when she visited me I explained to her about the charmed objects. After that she never mentioned it but I could tell that it bothered her.

"Adrian, why did you continue to help her? Why didn't you just let me stay dead?"

"Because she loves you and I could not live with myself if I didn't help her. Besides she is going to need you. Yeva and Rhonda have told me that you are supposed to be by her side."

"Yeva gave me a letter before she left and she said basically the same thing."

"Sometimes I feel very jealous of the relationship that you have with her."

"Sometimes you feel jealous. There are times I wish I could hate you because I wish I was the one she was **in love** with." I twisted my ring for a moment. "Adrian, she is carrying your child I could taste it in her blood."

"I know I have seen it in her aura. I think she is in denial. She didn't want to have more than just Theresa. I convinced her to leave it up to God. Yeva told her that she is supposed to have many children, close in age. Rhonda told me the same thing. Having a lot of kids conflicts with her ideas of good Guardianship."

"I could understand her thinking. She is worried that she will have to give less her children for the sake of protecting Lissa or give less to Lissa for the sake of her children. It is not unlike my reasons for fighting my feelings for her for so long."

"Dimitri, being a mother has made her a better Guardian."

"I have seen her neck. It took me six years to earn the 7 that I have. She has 11 and she has not been out of St Vladimir's Academy a whole year yet. I am afraid that she has already made herself many enemies among the Strigoi. I fear for her safety."

"So do I, Dimitri she is going to need you for protection. I have been training but I am not as strong or as skilled as you are."

His watch beeped.

"We have to get going; we have to meet the others at the plane in half an hour." He gathered Theresa and her bag and I went to the room to wake Rose.

"Roza, it's time for you to get up and go." Her eyes opened slowly, she smiled sweetly at me.

"Hey Comrade." She stretched before she stood. She was a little wobbly. I reached out and held her by the elbow. Her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Roza you should not be giving me so much blood. It is too much of a strain on your body." Oops I just stepped into it. Her face burned with anger now. She pulled her arm away from me.

"I will be fine by tomorrow. Besides I have Sasha's permission." She turned to storm out but I caught her and pulled her to me.

"I know you will. I am sorry if my comment hurt you. I just have a hard time seeing you make yourself weak for my sake when I am not worthy of it."

"I will do what I have to for you. In so many ways I owe you this much."

"Roza it is I who owe you." I kissed her forehead and walked her out to the car.

~~*~~

Rose POV

I knew that Dimitri had been right about me giving too much blood. It was irresponsible considering I was going to be traveling to Europe. All I wanted was to sleep but I had the ghosts buzzing in my ear. I was still weak and could not get my walls up. Everyone else on the plane was asleep except Adrian. He was watching me with concern. He leaned over to me; I thought he was going to ask if I was alright.

"Sleep my Lil' Dhampir." My eyes closed and the buzzing stopped. I found myself at home in my bed with my husband at my side. He held me while I slept in our dream as well. I felt the plane land and I opened my eyes. I was still tired and thankfully it was 12pm when we landed which meant that we would still have a few hours of sleep once we got to the guest housing of St Raphael's Academy. Those few hours made the difference. I woke up at 6 PM ready to jump into work.

St Raphael's was nestled in a small town in Romania. The Headmistress herself showed the rooms we would be using for the week. In some ways the upper campus reminded me a lot of St Vlad's the buildings and layout looked similar. Yet the easy comradely between students was lacking. In the dining hall instead of small tables with mixed groups of students there were long tables like the ones in the Harry Potter movies. The eight long tables sat in four rows; two for each grade level, one for Moroi and one for Dhampirs. The teachers had two tables off to the side.

My stomach knotted up. How are we supposed to teach these children to fight together if they don't even socialize together? From the first meal we decided we were going to teach these people different by setting the example. Ivan, Nicolai and I sat at the same table with Christian, Tasha and Adrian. Theresa had her own little chair that we set at the end of the table next to Adrian and me. It had caused a bit of a stir the first day but after that both staff and students accepted that we did things differently. Later I asked Headmistress Adams if this was a standard dining arrangement in the European Academies. After having discussed the matter further I decided that I would submit some ideas to the queen regarding the integration of Moroi and Dhampir students.

Tasha, Chris and I had decided to interview together since the job would require teachers who would have to work as an integrated unit with both our departments. Tasha speaks Russian and we had an interpreter who speaks Romanian; but most of the applicants spoke clear English. By mid week we had finished with the first interview with all applicants. The next few days we did second and third interviews.

Our last day there was a Sunday. As a thank you treat for the students and staff and as a demonstration to the applicants who had made it passed the third interview; we did a demonstration. Nicolai and seven Guardians from the school played the role of Stigoi Ivan worked with Tasha and I worked with Christian. Tasha and Chris did not let the fire actually burn the guardians but they did let it envelop them as Pyro had once done to Jessie Zeklos. Fire balls flew past heads and within ten min all the pseudo Strigoi were staked.

We also wanted to demonstrate how knowing self defense could be a lifesaver to a Moroi. I asked for a volunteer from the staff, I needed someone who didn't know how to defend themselves and who didn't mind getting knocked around. A tall strong looking man stood up. He had medium length sandy blond hair and hazel eyes. I could hear half the girls in the audience give a sigh. I instructed him to behave as he thought he would if this was a real situation. One of the staff guardians played the role of his Guardian and I joined the side of the attacking Strigoi. Three of us faced off against the two of them. The Guardian was good and had Ivan staked within a few minutes. I had decided to let the other 'stigoi' fight the guardian while I went after the Moroi. He gave a few good punches but he was no match to me. In my peripheral vision I could see that his guardian was about to stake the second Strigoi but it was too late. I had my mouth pressed up to the Moroi's neck in a pretend bite. The poor man trembled in my arms when he realized that had I been a real Strigoi he would have just lost his life.

Next Adrian and I faced off four 'Strigoi' together. We wanted to demonstrate that a well trained Moroi can protect himself well enough to help his Guardian during an attack. The pseudo Stigoi surrounded us, circling and looking for the chance to attack. Adrian and I crouched back to back. Someone lunged at Adrian and he blocked before kicking his attacker back. A short man lunged at me and I flipped him. Another lunged and I kicked him away. The first man was up and punched me hard. I dodged most of it but I still received a blow to the cheek. Adrian flipped one attacker and knocked one of mine off balance in the process. I took the advantage and pressed my practice stake against his ribs. At the same time Adrian was staking his attacker. My second attacker lunged at me while I was still staking the first. I flew to the side and he jumped on me trying to pin me. I rolled on my side setting him off balance and pinning him down. I staked him then looked up to see my hubby still sparring and holding his own against the last 'Strigoi.' His attacker was setting up for a kick to the gut. I put myself in his way as a result I got the kick. I shook off the pain and blocked the next kick I went low and in a sweeping move I kicked the leg he stood on out from under him. Adrian jumped on him and tried to pin him down, I knelt with my knees straddling his head and I staked him in a quick blow. The others walked up to us and offered each of us a hand. Once we stood Adrian took me in his arms and kissed me in front of everyone. The hot cool hot sensation of spirit filled me. When our kiss ended I could feel the bruises on my stomach and eye was gone.

"You could have waited for later." I was a little embarrassed but the public display of affection.

"No, I needed to do it now." He leaned into me and whispered in my ear. "Your Aura has changed. There is a purplish swirl over your stomach."

Holy crap, I was hoping to have more time before we had another child. I could not think about this now. I set it aside and put my guardian mask on. All Eyes were on me; I cleared my throat and went to the podium. I gave my closing speech and took questions.

We left for home that night. On the plane I sat alone with Theresa for a while. I was upset. It's not that I don't want to have children with Adrian. After Theresa was born I realized that I would love to have a child with him but I had wanted to wait a year or two. Theresa was so little still; it was hard enough to be a guardian and a mom to one child. How am I going to be a good mother to two little babies?

As soon as everyone else was asleep Adrian came and sat with me. Somewhere in the past year he learned how to put up walls and set a guardian like face. Of course his guardian like mask was not as trained as a real guardian but it was enough that I could not see all of his emotions.

"Rose, I know that you really never wanted to have more children than the one we have." He took a deep breath and for a brief moment his face showed the pain he felt. "If you decide to terminate I will understand."

It took me a full minute to realize what he had said. So many emotions filled me at once the two strongest were disbelief and anger. My hands flew to my lower belly and I glared at him.

"How could you think that I would do that to our child?" I had to fight to keep my voice quiet. The last thing I wanted was to wake the rest of the group. "I wasn't ready for Theresa but I never thought of not having her. I love you and I love our baby. I'm scared that's all."

Relief washed over his features, tears that he had held back began to roll down his face. "I am sorry, I didn't think that you would do it but I wanted you to know you had a choice."

"Adrian I don't have a choice. I may not understand why but I am supposed to have this child after this one I will have another if it is what God has planned for me."

"Rose I know that you are not a religious person. Why are you talking about the will of God?"

"I have learned a lot from the ghosts I talk to. I know that there is a Heaven and a Hell; I know that there is forgiveness for sins. I know that there is a God and that he goes by many names. Going to Church with you and Lissa hasn't hurt ether. You're a spirit wielder because you are special to him. You do give part of your life essence when you wield but he replenishes it." Shortly after we leaned our seats back and went for a dream walk.

As we neared home I was woken up by my guardian ghost. Sonya was worried about Dimitri. His soul was struggling against the Strigoi. The charms were losing their power. After a short discussion with Adrian we decided not to tell the others about Dimitri. When we landed we asked them to drop us off on at the turn before our drive way. We said we wanted to take a walk. Nicolai said that he would take care of Theresa and told us to enjoy our walk.

~~*~~

Dimitri POV

This week has been the worst in my life. Even worse than the week that Rose and the other four students went missing. Her charms were not working so well anymore and the monster could taste his victory. The day that Eddie came to feed me I thought I would go mad. The monster wanted to drain him and leave him in a heap in the forest. I couldn't do that to the brave boy who risked his life out of loyalty and friendship. I won that battle against the monster and Eddie left here very much alive with a guardian I had only seen on the videos with Theresa. His blood did not have the same soothing effect on me that I get from Roza. In fact it only made the Monster stronger.

I continued to fight to keep control of myself. I thought of my Roza and the love that we had for each other. I thought of the love I had for my younger brother. For a while this helped me fight; but by the day that they were scheduled to come home the monster used my thoughts of love and turned them to thoughts of jealousy. How dare he touch her the way he does. He has infected her with his seed and now she would be having his child.

Rose and Adrian would be coming to see me soon. I had to do something to keep from harming them; to keep the monster from wining. I locked the door and put the chair in front of it. I brought the picture of Rose and me to the main room where I could see it. I sat on the couch; I took a long look at the picture. I brought my wrist up to my lips and bit down hard. Blood began to come out in spurts. I did the same on the other side. Before I could sink into oblivion I heard footsteps running up my drive. NO, Not yet I am still too dangerous. The monster is so strong.

"Go away Rose. GO AWAY!"

"Like Hell Dimitri let us in!" The door handle jingled as she tried to open the door. She and Adrian pounded on it.

"GO AWAY!"

I could hear her smash her body against the door. She ran again and again the third time the lock and chair gave way and she was standing before me. She had a stake in her hands, it had a golden hilt.

"Please kill me. Release me from this monster before he makes me kill you." She walked up to me and knelt before me. She plunged the stake but not in my heart like she should have instead she punctured my thigh. The monster pulled all his strength and before I could stop him my head bent over her and bit into her hard. She cried out but not a cry of pain. She said three words.

"Give me spirit."

Adrian who was already headed to us to tear her from me put one hand on her shoulder and one on my chest but he didn't pull her from me. From Rose I felt love not just the love platonic love she has been giving me but she sent me all the love she ever had for me. Images of our stolen kisses, the night of the lust charm and finally the night in the cabin filled my head. From Adrian I felt joyous emotions as well as a Hot Cold Hot that Rose had once described to me.

I pulled my mouth off of my Roza; she gazed at me lovingly as her eyes began to close. Adrian was unconscious, I could see that he was still breathing but Roza's breathing was so shallow. Pain over took me, both physical and mental. Did my Roza just give her life to save me? The physical pain became too much for me to bear and I fell into oblivion.

~~*~~

Lissa POV

Chris, Ivan and Nicolai arrived home with the baby. I asked them where Rose and Adrian were.

"The love birds wanted to take a walk." Chris answered as the girls climbed all over him asking what he brought them. I laughed watching them tackle him. From his pockets he pulled out two small gift boxes. He gave one to each girl and they kissed his cheeks. They both got a locket with the Dragomir Crest on it with their first names etched below the crest. My family time was interrupted. Through the bond Rose called to me.

"_Lissa, Dimitri is in trouble. I know how to change him when I tell you send me spirit."_

I froze; Chris noticed and was about to ask what was happening. I raised my hand; and he understood that I needed to concentrate. He led the girls to the other room. When he came back Eddie, Janine and Ivan followed.

"_Give me Spirit!"_

With all my might I sent her spirit. I could almost feel her pull it from me. A few minutes later she stopped pulling from me.

"_He is back. Help me!" _

I could feel her strength fading. I took off running to her. I had never been to the cabin but somehow I found it. I was out of breath and the scene before my eyes nearly made me faint. Dimitri was on the couch his head slumped to the side. His wrists were bleeding profusely. Rose and Adrian were both slumped in a kneeling position on either side of him. Rose had a hand on her healing stake and there was a bite mark on her neck. Ivan had his stake out and was about to finish Dimitri off but I managed to push him out of the way.

"He's alive. Don't kill him." I realized that I had to take control of the situation and do what Rose would want me to do.

"Get them to the house and call Sasha." I went over to Dimitri and healed the wounds on his hands. Then I healed the wound on Rose's neck.

Sasha checked them out for Rose and Dimitri she gave blood transfusions I had felt the immense amount of magic that Rose had used and I knew she was going to be out for a few days. Adrian was also knocked out from using so much spirit and she gave him intravenous fluid.. She confirmed that Dimitri was no longer Strigoi but she could not say that he was an ordinary Dhampir anymore. He still had fangs. Because he was getting donor blood she was going to have to wait till it had cleared his system before she could do a blood test to find out if he was Dhampir, Moroi or something in between.

So now we wait.

* * *

**Well Dimitri has been changed but into what? ..... Moroi or somethig in between like his doughter?**

**How is he going to handle things when he wakes up?**

**How do you think the others in Rose's family will treat him?**

**How do you think that the comunity is going to treat him?**

**PleaseReview. I am a sucker for Reviews and I like to write back to those who have an account for me to reply to.**

**Suzanna**

Ps I know the book said that Robert Duru turned his friend back onto a Dhampir but in my story, Rose could not find out how he did it. she came up with her own way.


	29. Forgiveness

**AUTHORS NOTE. Sorry about the mix up. It was 2:30 am when I posted and I was sooooo sleepy.... I am sorry about the mix up this is the corrrect chapter 29**

**Authors Note To the Creep who hides under chairs.**

I am sorry that the Leader of the Ninga Army wants to take your chair from you if you don't find out why I ask questions at the end of my chapters. Yes I do understand that you do not know the answers to what is going to happen next. I realise that only I, Yeva and Rhonda know the future. Please let her know that I am a teacher and I like to know that people are paying attention. Also I love the feedback that I get when I ask my silly questions.

I hope That this answers her question please let her know that If she gets and account she can ask me all the questions she wants and I will be able to answer them. unfortunatly I am not bonded to the Leader of the ninja Army. I can not answer her using a bond. I am bonded to my best friend Julie who likes to fly around on a dragon. I apreciate your review. I hope you do not burry your head like and ostrage because that would prevent you from reading my story.

sincerly the SnowGoose.

**To every one else: I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

_**Chapter: 29 Forgiveness**_

Dimitri POV

Slowly I could feel the darkness of oblivion lift. The pain had subsided but my body felt so heavy. I tried to open my eyes but they would not listen to me. I tried to remember where I was, who I was; but my mind felt fuzzy. One by one my memories came back to me. My name is Dimitri Belikov I am a guardian. I grew up in Baia, Siberia. My grandmother Yeva told me that one day I would have children with a remarkable woman. I remembered Ivan Zeklos, my best friend and charge. He died when I went on vacation. The counsel assigned me to find and guard Princess Vasilisa the last of the Dragomir family. She had disappeared with her best friend who was supposed to become her Guardian after graduation. I found them and brought them back to St. Vladimir's Academy.

Her novice guardian, Rosemarie Hathaway was to be my student and it was my job to catch her up on her training. She was beautiful, spirited, disrespectful, funny, dedicated, and endearing. I found myself lingering on my memories of this girl. I learned that she had remarkable gifts and burdens because of the bond that she shared with her charge. I saw myself fall in love with her. I saw how I pushed her away thinking that I was doing the right thing. How could I have pushed her away like that? I saw her struggle to keep her friend safe from some unseen enemy. There was a night that we were brought together by a lust charm. I almost took her virginity that night and gave her mine in return. I wanted her so badly. We realized that it was a charm and that our charge was in danger. Together we saved her.

Again I pushed her away but she saw through it. She knows me better than any other person ever has. I told her my reasons for keeping our relationship professional. Because of her dedication to her Moroi she accepted my reasons. I knew that it hurt her to fight her feelings for me; I knew because it hurt me too. I took her to have her interview with Arthur Schulenburg, but we walked in on the scene of an attack. She was so brave for someone so young. Tasha Ozera asked me to be her guardian; I nearly took her offer. Rose and four others went missing for a week. When they got away one had died and Rose had fought and killed two Strigoi by herself.

I turned down Tasha's offer; thought I knew I would be giving up the chance to have the children with an extraordinary woman, I loved rose and could not bear to leave her. I watched her struggle though visions of ghosts. I was not sure if she was going mad or if this was another gift. Soon after she had consumed so much darkness from the princess's spirit shadows that she went temporarily crazy. I tried to calm her but she could not be calmed. It was not until I let go of me resolve and let her see how much I love her; that she finally found the strength to let go of the madness. In my relief I kissed her. This time I didn't stop. I gave her my heart and I accepted hers. We made love and I knew that somehow this was the extraordinary woman that Yeva had meant.

There was an attack at the school. She fought with a fire wielding Moroi friend of hers and they were responsible for most of the kills that night. I felt such pride for my Roza. Yes, she was my Roza. In the traditions of my people Roza was my wife. There was a rescue mission to save some of the people taken during the attack. Roza and I were about to reach safety but something pulled me back and I felt a pain in my neck.

I had been awakened. Oh dear GOD the atrocities I have committed. My Roza came to save my soul, but I captured her. I took her blood and left her weak. She escaped me, she almost saved my soul. I heard that she was marrying my half brother. I spy on her and hear she is with child, when I see pictures I know that this could be my child she carries. My heart can feel no love and I plan an attack. She is ready for my attack and has an ambush of her own waiting. She stakes me in the leg with a stake charmed for healing instead of killing, and gives me a connection to my soul. When I am sick and cannot think where ells to turn I came to her. She saved me. My brother took me in and cared for me.

My heart is broken because I miss her. My Roza, my wife, is married to my brother. I see that he loves her and with his wealth and position he can give her the life I could never even dream I could do. She gives birth to my child, a beautiful baby girl. I think of every visit that they made to me; Rose lovingly and willingly giving me small amounts of living blood. I thought of the times I played with my little Theresa. I remember the struggle to keep my soul. Rose tried to heal me and I tried to drain her. OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?

I begin to sob as I lay in this bed. I feel someone sit on the bed and a soft hand cover mine. It is not my Roza, when Roza touches me I feel an energy run through me. I will my eyes open there is a very soft light in the room. The princess is sitting next to me; she has a small smile on her face. I search her face. There is worry and general concern, but thankfully I see no grief. This fact gives me hope.

"Welcome back, Guardian Belikov." She takes my hand in both of hers.

"Rose?" It was all I could say. She took a deep breath; I tried to steady myself for her words.

"She is still unconscious, but after the blood loss and the amount of energy it took to turn you back, she's going to be out for a few days." I didn't know if they would have known to check the baby.

"Her child?" Lissa gave a bit of a surprised look, with a tinge of jealousy in it. "Princess, she didn't confide in me, I figured it out." She blushed, knowing I had seen her jealousy.

"The baby is ok, we didn't know she was pregnant at first, but when some of the blood work came back Sasha did an ultrasound."

"Adrian must be furious with me."

"He is still out. I think he will come out of it soon."

"How long have I been out?"

"Two Days." I tried to sit up but my body still felt heavy. She helped me up.

"You're just a bit week but Sasha says you will be feeling better soon. Do you feel up to having visitors?"

"Who would want to visit me?" They all knew the monster I had become.

"The people who love and care for you, your friends and family. Janine has wanted to see you. Alberta is here. Your family is on the way from Russia and your Daughter is very lonely right now without her mom and daddies." My Theresa, I missed my little girl so much.

"Could I see Theresa first?"

"She is with Janine Right now. Should I send them both in or do you just want the baby?"

I knew that I should talk to Janine. I owed her an explanation for my actions with her underage daughter. Being a father now myself I could just imagine the things she may have to say to me.

"Send them both." Lissa left the room and in a few moments I heard my child cry as she came down the hall. Janine knocked softly and waited till I gave permission to come in.

"Hello sweet baby." Her head turned in the direction of my voice. Theresa saw me and reached out for me. Janine handed her over with a smile. Theresa snuggled up to me and grabbed on to my hair, she twirled it in her fingers and put a thumb in her mouth. Within minutes she was asleep.

"She has not slept well in days. I am glad you are here to comfort her."

"Janine, I am sorry for my actions with Rose. I know that what I did was wrong given our ages and the situation but I need to tell you that I loved her. I still do."

"Rose has explained everything to me. I am sorry that things didn't go as you had hoped. She is happy with Adrian but she would have been just as happy with you."

"I would not have been able to give her what he has."

"The things would not have mattered to her." I knew she was right but it was still hard not to wish I could have given her a home.

"I had thought she was so mature and she was for her age but I see now that she was still just a child. I realize that my actions that night made her grow up faster than what was fair." I looked down at my sleeping child. I love her and could not imagine her not being here. I hurt for the things Rose had to face alone.

"I won't lie to you. She was so scared and confused. But she loved you and your baby. Once she knew she was carrying your child she never thought of her as a burden. She had no regrets about loving you or having made love with you."

"She rushed into a marriage to protect the baby from me and from society."

"Rose needed to try to let you go and move forward for her own sanity. He is so good to her that I think she would have fallen in love and married him anyway. The baby did expedite things a bit but it would have happened eventually I think." This knowledge hurt me to hear but I was grateful to Janine for her honesty.

"She still loves you. It may not be the way that you love her or the way that you want her to love you, but she does love you even more than she did then."

"I never doubt Rose's feelings for me. She has not tried to hide anything from me and even if she did well I could always tell when she lied or held things back from me." I gave an involuntary yawn.

"I am going to let the two of you rest. I will come back for her later." I lay down with my daughters head resting over my heart.

"Oh, Belikov." I lifted my head. "I was pissed as hell when I first found out. In fact I could have staked you myself even if you hadn't have been Stigoi. I forgive you now. Thank you for giving me such a beautiful grandchild. I guess you will be keeping a good strong eye on all of her teachers when she grows up." She left my room

**~~*~~**

I woke to the smell of food. It was so long since I felt hunger for food. My stomach growled and I sat up. Janine was leaning over a playpen; she lifted Theresa out saying something about taking her down to eat her breakfast. There was a very kind looking Dhampir standing next to me with a tray full of food. She set the tray over me with a smile.

"It is nice to finally meet you. My name is Helen Mc Mann but please just call me Helen. I didn't know what to make for you so I opted for Lady Ivashkovs favorites." It stung to hear Roza referred to as Lady Ivashkov. I looked at the tray and found that it indeed held roses favorites; French toast, bacon, eggs, a chocolate doughnut, and tea. There was one item I never knew Rose to ever have eaten.

"Is that Russian Black Bread?" She smiled and nodded.

"It is not as good as your mother's or that of Lady Ivashkov ether. I just don't have the same knack for it as she does."

"This is one of Rose's favorites?"

"Yes and I know it is one of yours. Your mother and Lady would spend hours in the kitchen baking it and talking about what you were like as a child." This image brought a smile to my face. My stomach growled again so I gave in and began to eat. Everything tasted so good. I could feel the food give me energy. I got up and looked though the drawers and found that my cloths had been brought here. I dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt.

When Janine came back in I asked her if I could visit with Rose and Adrian. She helped me up and led me to a room down the hall from mine. This room was far larger and had a huge bed. On the bed, side by side lay Rose and Adrian. Both had an IV hooked in their arms with clear fluid dripping from it. For some reason I felt myself drawn to sit next to Adrian. I began to feel fear, confusion, helplessness and longing from him. I reached over and took rose's hand and placed it in his.

"That was a very nice thing to do." I turned and saw Lissa and Christian in the doorway.

"Princess Vasilisa, Mr. Ozera, I didn't hear you come in."

"You seem to be in deep thought. Please call us Lissa and Christian. Can I ask what made you put their hands together?"

"I guess I just thought it would make him feel better."

"It did, and it made her feel better too. Their auras are both lighter." Then she looked at me. First her eyes narrowed but then grew big. "Your aura is darker now than it was earlier." The look on her face held surprise and pity.

"What does that mean? Please don't say I am bound to one of them. I don't know if I could handle that."

"Sorry I think that is exactly what happened." I am having a hard enough time handling my own emotions.

A small gray and white cat jumped up on the bed and headed straight for me. She rubbed up to me as if asking for attention. I heard a giggle from Lissa. I have never had an animal come near me voluntarily unless it wanted to bite me. I looked to Lissa for answers.

"That is Misty Blue; she is Rose's shadow kissed kitten. Rose takes all my and Adrian's shadows and then Misty takes them from her. She can take some directly from you but not as much as Rose can. Pet her and snuggle with her. I bet she will make you feel better."

For the first time in my life I played with a cat. Then she took off running around the room. I thought she was going mad but Lissa and Christian just laughed as she ran, dodged and flipped through the air. Then she jumped up on the bed and curled up right on Rose's baby bump.

"Well the cat is going to be out for the next few hours. Guess I will find the girls and start a game of hide and seek." He kissed Lissa and walked away. Lissa went to sit next to rose and hold her hand.

"When Rose and I were first bound; it started with Rose just having a general hum of my feelings. A few months later she started to get sucked into my head when I was scared. After you brought us back to the Academy and we had to spend so much time apart from each other she decided to try to get into my head so she could know how I was doing." She took a deep breath. "I don't know what it is like to get sucked into someone's head. From what Rose has told me it can be really, really uncomfortable I do know that feeling someone elses emotions all the time can be a bitch. I really suggest that you try to learn to put up mental blocks and walls because if you don't, it is really going to suck being you."

I have to admit that I didn't really understand what she meant about it sucking to be me but I really didn't want to talk about it anymore. After that we sat in silence for a while till I heard my daughter cry and I left to tend to her.

**~~*~~**

Alberta came into the nursery while I was changing Theresa.

"You're quite good at that."

"I helped take care of Viktoria when she was a baby and my nephew Paul also."

"How are you doing Dimitri?" I gave a big sigh. I busied myself for a moment by spreading a quilt on the ground and placing Theresa in the middle of it with some toys.

"I'm Ok I guess. I am glad that I don't have to fight with the monster anymore. Now I just have to live with everything I did when he was in control of me."

"I would assume that those memories will always haunt you. But remember that it was not the real you. It was your body but not your heart or soul that was responsible for those deeds."

"Alberta I am not so sure. There were times that I held back and did the lesser evil of two choices. If there was no trace of me left then why did I do that?"

"Perhaps those where the times that your soul was fighting the hardest; even though it didn't have control over you maybe it drew on some God given strength to keep you from doing the thing that would hurt you the most."

"I used Rose. I treated her in the lowest manner. I treated her like a blood whore."

"Rose told me everything that happened to her when she was with you. You did feed off of her and you made out with her but you didn't have intercourse with her when you held her captive, even though part of her actually wanted you to at the time. After she realized that you were not capable of love, she was grateful for that. Also even though there was a lot of pressure to awaken Rose, you didn't."

"I suppose."

"What are you plans for the future?"

"I guess right now I need to take some time off and be with my daughter. She grows so fast and I have already missed most of it."

"She is quite big for a 3 month old."

"Her physical development is that of a 6 month old, her mental development is also just about 6 months. I don't want to miss her firsts."

"I can understand that. I took a few years off when my son was born."

Helen poked her head in the room.

"Guardian Belikov, Dr Isham is here to examine you." Who was Dr. Isham? The confusion must have been clear on my face. "Sasha is here to see you."

"Oh I guess Rose and Adrian never told me her last name. They always called her Sasha or cousin. She even called Rose Cousin."

"She is Adrian's first cousin and she is also the first one to accept Rose and the baby as part of her family. That is why she calls Rose cousin and the baby she calls the little cousin." Alberta explained with a smile. "I will take care of the baby so you can go see Sasha."

**~*~**

Helen led me back to my room where Sasha was taking her supplies out of her bag. She greeted me with a warm smile. She asked me to sit on the chair in front of the desk.

"Hello Dimitri, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling much better than I did when I first woke up. I was really week then."

"Have you eaten regular food yet?" I nodded. "How did you handle it?"

"Very well actually; I would have thought I wouldn't be able to eat that much considering it has been a year since I had real food."

"Have you felt the need for blood?"

"NO!" Why would she ask that?

"You're probably used to the feel of them; so you didn't notice that you still have your fangs." I ran my tongue in front of my teeth and gums. Shit I do have fangs.

"Don't worry it doesn't mean what you might be afraid of. I think that you are a higher mix of Moroi to human, like your daughter. I don't know how much yet because I couldn't get a clear reading with the donor blood I pumped into your veins. Let me get a sample, and I will know in 2 days."

"I never want to feed off of another person again. Not even a feeder." I could feel the tears flow down my face. She wrapped her arms around me. It was like a dam had burst within me. I began to sob she held me till I was able to get a hold of myself. I couldn't believe that this woman who never met me before I was awakened could even be willing to touch me, let alone comfort me. She pulled a pack of tissue from her pocket and gave me one. She knelt before me and looked me in the eye.

"I am sorry but you will need living blood. If you are like your daughter you probably won't need blood every day and you will need far less than what you had to take from Rose. Theresa only bites Rose about once every three days. If you feel the need for blood go see the feeder. She lives on the first floor near the kitchen, her name is Alice and she used to work at the Academy. She is old and fruity as a loon but Chris and Lissa asked for her so Adrian hired her for them. She spends most of her time ether in her room watching movies or out in one of Rose's Gardens."

"What if I refuse to feed?" Her face became very serious.

"That would be dangerous to yourself and your loved ones. First you would get sick like you had when you came here for help. Then if you continue to hold out you would go mad and completely drain the first person you feed off of. You would become Strigoi again but this time it would be your own doing." I shivered at the thought.

"I am in my own personal hell."

"I am so sorry Dimitri. I need to finish examining you." She did the usual thing with the light in my eyes, and testing my reflexes. Then she took a vile of blood.

"Helen should have Dinner ready soon. I think you should join the family for diner. You should integrate yourself into the daily life here. I know Rose and Adrian both want you to live here close to Theresa."

I nodded and let her lead me down to the first floor. She gave me a tour of the mansion along the way. This place was called The House on Cherry Hill but it was way too big to be called a house. There were five bedrooms on the third floor; six on the second and four on the first along with several in the basement. The Moroi on staff liked the lowest level because the windows were very small and didn't allow much light in.

In the dining room there was a huge table that would probably seat twenty five people easily. Everyone seemed to be seated around one end of the table rather than spread out.

"Rose and Adrian like to have their whole family at the table. The guardians who are on duty right now will eat after their shift and any household staff is welcome to eat with the family but most choose not to."

I was greeted warmly by everyone. Lissa gave me a hug. The Guardians introduced themselves to me and told me who they were guarding. Abe had a lot of Guardians for a non royal Moroi but then again he was Abe Mazur. Rose had told me her father's name was Abraham but I was a little shocked it was ol Zmay himself. I guess that explains some of her more colorful personality traits. I have to admit that he seemed like a very kind man. By the looks of it he is in love with Janine.

"Where is Eddie?" Lissa smiled and her eyes sparkled.

"Eddie is having dinner with Mia and her Father. I think he is going to be asking her father for her hand."

"Mia Rinaldi?"

"Yes, they have been dating for the last eight months."

"But she is a Moroi. How do they expect to get married?"

"It isn't so frowned upon anymore. In part because of Rose and Adrian being married and also after what happened to the Queen."

"What happened to the queen?" Her eyes grew wide.

"I can't believe she didn't tell you. The day after Thanksgiving she went to court to help us get our things and move back here. The queen called for her and Adrian, Chris and I went too. While Queen Tatiana was in the middle of a speech about how I would be safer at court than here with Rose; Rose felt the presents of Strigoi. She started to bark out instructions to us in her head."

"What? What do you mean she barked out instructions in her head?"

"I'll explain that later. Anyway she got Adrian to cover me and Tatiana while she and my Fire boy got ready to fight. It was intense but basically Rose saved everyone's butt that day. She forced the second Strigoi to tell her what they were after. See they were one of the Queen's own Guardians and her personal secretary. They had asked for permission to marry but she forbade it and they decided to turn Strigoi and kill Queen Tatiana and Me so that they could start out with high ranking within the Strigoi."

"This was the day after Thanksgiving. She was in her ninth month! What was she thinking fighting Strigoi at that late stage?"

"She fought your ass the night before?" She had to remind me, but I was so upset about Rose's carelessness. "She really didn't have a choice there was no time to get back up. She wouldn't have done it if she had another choice she promised Adrian after the last time." I raised my eyebrow at her and gave her my no nonsense Guardian face.

"Last time?" This time she gulped, under his breath Chris said something to her about putting her royal foot in her mouth. Janine answered this time.

"When Rose was six months pregnant we got ambushed by five Stigoi. She fought well and made two kills. Like she told Adrian she was pregnant not dying. She did her job and after Lissa made sure to heal her. You should be proud that your student performed so admirably." She gave me the same guardian face that I had given Lissa. I nodded to her in acknowledgement that matter was now closed.

After dinner I read one of my western books to Theresa before bed. I kept her in the play pen in my room. I found comfort in having her with me. Just as I was about to turn off my light I heard a soft meow at my door and the sound of a paw tap at the bottom. I opened the door and Misty walked in and jumped up on my bed. She looked at me expectantly. I left the door open, turned off the light and let the cat sleep where she wanted. She curled up on my chest and began to purr. The sound of her purr lulled me to sleep.

**~~*~~**

Fear and confusion…. The strength of the emotions woke me up. I sat up and thought about these feelings. I had no reason to feel like this. Then I realized that these ware not my emotions. I stood up and walked down the hall to the master bedroom. The door was open and Adrian's Guardian Arthur was standing guard. He was looking intently at Adrian.

"Arthur, how are they doing?"

"He has been mumbling. I think he is waking up." I crossed to the chair beside Adrian. I took his hand and in the softest gentlest voice I could make I spoke to him.

"Adrian, it's me your brother Dimitri. Everything is ok. Rose and your baby are healthy. She is tired from the effort like you but and she is sleeping next to you. You have been successful in saving me. I need you to wake up for me brother." I could feel him relax a bit. His hand held on to mine and a few minutes later his eyes opened. He looked at me and gave me a week smile.

"I am sorry for what happened. I tried to stop myself, and to stop you from coming in." He held my hand a little tighter and brought the other one up so he could hold my hand in both of his.

"You are forgiven. I love you brother." His eyes closed and I knew that he was asleep.

* * *

When Dimitri first woke up he began to sob. do you think it was guilt or fear that made him cry?

Who is Dimitri bonded to?

What is the signifigance of Ardian telling Dimitri that he is forgiven?


	30. A Reason To Move Foreward

Sorry about the mix up with last chapter. I thank you for your patients. I hope you like this chapter. there is a new POV in this one. Thank you for all the reviewsl!!!

My siscamer stands. I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you. _**;)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 30 A Reason to Move Forward.**_

**Adrian POV**

I began to remember those last moments before I had blacked out. When Rose got the warning on the plane that Dimitri was losing it; we decided to go to him and inject him with a charmed ball from Rose's healing stake. We didn't want to tell the others because they would have insisted that we bring a lot of back up. Back up would have taken time, time that we didn't have also we felt that too many people would agitate him. After we had been dropped off for our 'walk' we hurried to get past the wards. Immediately Rose began a conversation with her ghost friend.

"How is he? Oh God! Tell his soul to hold on."

I could only hear Rose's side of the conversation but it didn't sound good. She took off running with me at her heals.

"Remember the kitten? We are going to do that. I will send him the love that I wield and I need you to let me channel spirit from you. Touch my back or something and give me all you can."

We reached the cabin but before she could reach for the door he called out.

"Go away Rose. GO AWAY!"

"Like Hell Dimitri let us in!" She tried the door but it was locked. We both began to pound on the door in desperation.

"GO AWAY!"

Rose backed away and tried to kick down the door. It didn't budge. I took a turn using my whole body. The lock gave a little but the door was still blocked. Rose gave it another try this time the desk chair that he had placed against the door knob broke and the door gave way.

Rose rushed to him with her Healing stake already in hand. There was blood coming out gaping wounds on both wrists. His mouth was covered in blood. Oh my God He bit himself.

"Please kill me. Release me from this monster before he makes me kill you." She walked up and knelt before him. She plunged the stake into his thigh and pressed twice releasing two charmed balls into him. I could see that they had little effect on him. I was rushing to them to be ready to give her spirit. In a flash his mouth was at her neck and I could see his fangs come down and sink into her. There was a look of regret on his face. Rose cried out both with voice and in my head.

"Give me spirit."

I put my hand on her so she could take spirit and I put a hand on Dimitri's chest so that I could pull her away from him. I could feel it working. Rose took spirit from me and Lissa and mixing it with her extraordinary love and channeled it to Dimitri through her blood and her body as she leaned into him. Her Aura was pure Silver. I could see Dimitri's Aura begin to light up. Strigoi don't have an Aura. After we had first charmed him he had a very faint one that was barely visible. But now it was lighting up and getting close to normal. Throughout all this I could see in my mind the images attached to Rose's love. It was not enough to send him the love she had for him now. So she pulled up all the love she has ever had for him. I could see all the meaningful looks that they had at the beginning all the way through the night in the cabin to the moment that he had been ripped from her life; the moment that part of her had died. I blacked out.

Fear over took me. Were we alive? Did Rose and I make it though this or did we fail? Where is my Rose? A few minutes or hours later; I am not sure which I heard voices. One was the soft voice of my brother the way it sounded before he had been awakened; the other was Arthur. Someone took my hand.

"Adrian, it's me your brother Dimitri. Everything is ok. You have been successful in saving me. Rose and your baby are healthy. She is tired from the effort like you but and she is sleeping next to you. I need you to wake up for me brother."

Everything was Ok. Thank You GOD! I had not realized the amount of tension I had felt till he said that she is well and so is our baby. He was still holding my hand when I managed to open my eyes.

"I am sorry for what happened. I tried to stop myself, and to stop you from coming in." His face held so much sorrow and self loathing. I gasped his hand tighter and took it with the other hand as well.

"You are forgiven. I love you brother." I was all I could manage to say but I had to let him know that he was forgiven. I wish he could understand that I meant that he was not just forgiven by me for what happened but that I could feel that God had forgiven him for the things that his body had done. My eyes closed I drifted off to sleep.

**~~*~~**

**Abe POV**

It was early morning and the sun was low in the sky. I went to sit with my little Rose. Dimitri is in the room sitting next to his half brother. I am a little surprised that he is not sitting with Rose but at the same time I am relieved. I understand the way he must still feel for my daughter but I would not want him to try to come between her and her husband. I have a lot of respect for Adrian. He has loved and accepted my daughter no matter what. The fact that they had the courage to stand up to Tatiana also factors in to my respect for him.

This man I do not have so much respect for. From what Rose had said he was always fighting his feelings for her. His reasons were their age difference, lack of social acceptance and the safety of Lissa. The last one was the only reason that had any true value to me.

In my culture people have had arranged marriages for centuries; most of the time the man was a good 10 years older than the woman. He was someone Rose had chosen to love; he had not been forced upon her like my 30 yr old father was on my poor 15 yr old mother. Rose was close to 18 so the age difference is really not a big deal to me.

Lack of social acceptance should not have stopped him from loving her. Perhaps he would not have been allowed to marry her but he could have still made her happy and shared his life with her. Well I suppose I should not hold that one against him because she did say that he had made plans so, that they could be together.

Putting the safety of the princess first is very important though I do think that they are well trained enough to be able to do their job. I know that Rose would still put Lissa first. She has done so twice even when risking the life of her child to do so. I don't like knowing that my daughter would give her life for her charge. However I have heard that my little girl is something fierce in a fight; I am at least reasonably sure that it would never come to her giving her life.

I do trust that Rose is a good judge of character and I know that there must be a few very good reasons that she fell in love with this man. I do approve of his mother's side of the family. Eh, some of his father's side is not so bad. This brother of his turned out to be a good one even though I didn't approve of him at first ether. Perhaps it is difficult to accept that any man would be good enough for my little flower of my love.

"Good morning Sir." He gave me a respectful nod which I returned as I sat down on the chair next to Rose. We sat in silence for quite some time. Rose had said that he was very reserved, especially when they had first met. Sounds of crying came from the baby monitor. Dimitri stood and quickly left the room. I listened through the monitor as he soothed his child. As he spoke to her I had to smile at the love and devotion I could hear in his voice. I guess I have just seen one of the things that my daughter loves about him.

**~~*~~**

**Adrian POV**

I could hear Theresa crying. There was movement near me then shortly after I could hear Dimitri with the baby. I felt very thankful that we were successful in saving him. It was a good thing that she had at least one of her parents to care for her. I opened my eyes and looked around the room. Abe was sitting near Rose; he looked like he was lost in thought. I sat up before greeting him.

"Good morning Abe. How long have I been out?"

"Three days. Dimitri woke up yesterday morning. We expect Rose will wake in the next day or two."

"Do you think you could ask Dimitri to come here?"

"He just left a moment ago." He gave a thoughtful frown.

"I wonder if he has been here all night. I wonder what time it was when I talked to him."

"You woke up earlier?"

"Only for a moment."

"Well If you like I will get him for you." He left the room and a few moments later Dimitri came in holding Theresa. He didn't look like the confident man I used to know. He seemed a bit cautious and unsure of himself.

"You asked for me?" I realized why he seemed so unsure of himself. He was unsure of his purpose in this would. Before he had been a top notch Guardian; now he was not sure if he could even be a guardian any more. He needed a reason to move forward instead of living in the pain and regret Still he walked with the same gracefulness that Rose had. I have noticed that all guardians seem to be remarkably graceful but I wonder if the similarity in the way that both Rose and Dimitri move is because he is the one who trained her to be the fighter she is.

"How are you doing? Has everyone been treating you well?" He gave me an incredulous look.

"You're asking how I am. It's because of me that you and Rose are in the condition you are in."

"We are here because we were willing to pay this price to save someone very important to us. Now how are you?" He gave a sigh and shook his head a little bit. I know he felt that he was not worth our effort. I wonder how long it will take for him to forgive himself.

"I am doing well for the most part and everyone has been more than kind to me. I can't believe that they can treat me with such kindness knowing what I was, knowing what I did." He sat down in the chair by me and Theresa reached for me. He handed her over to me and watched me interact with her for a while. His demeanor became more serious and I could tell he needed to talk.

"What's wrong? Please talk to me; we may not have been raised together but we are brothers and we are also connected through Rose. We need to be able to communicate for the sake of our family." He sighed as he weighed the idea of telling me or not.

"Adrian. I am not the same as I was before. I know I am not Strigoi but I am normal Dhampir ether. Yesterday Sasha informed me that I still have my fangs and that I will need living blood like a Moroi. She is doing blood work to try to give me some answers. I don't want to take blood from anyone any more, not even a willing victim." He covered his face with his hands but continued. "I don't have a choice. If I don't feed I will get sick and possibly even get crazed to the point that I will get desperate and drain the first person I feed from. I would become Strigoi by my own doing. I can't put my family and friends in danger that way. The thought of feeding is repugnant to me and I hate myself already for needing to do it."

I stayed quiet for a while thinking about his situation. I felt very bad for him. I could only imagine that this would a very difficult adjustment for him to make. I knew that there was nothing I could say that would make him feel better. I put my hand on his arm; He flinched but didn't move his hand away. To my surprise he continued to speak

"I don't feel the monster he is gone and all the desire to harm is gone with him but I can still feel some of the changes he made to my body. My night vision is better than it was before but not what it was when I was … that thing. It's the same about my other senses too. I am not sure about my strength or reflexes but I have a feeling that those might be affected too. I hate that he has changed me the way he has."

"You might hate it but try thinking of it this way. You could turn those things from a curse into a blessing. It's like with Rose and being shadow kissed. There are a lot of things that she hated about it. Getting pulled into Lissa's head was sometimes frustrating and embarrassing or painful. But this has helped her save Lissa several times already. She was tormented by the ghosts to the point that she had to put up mental walls to keep them out but now she has honed the curse into a skill. She used them to keep an eye on you. In fact they have helped her by informing her of attacks that have happened and even ones that were in the planning. I really don't understand how it all happened but she is now become something more than shadow kissed. All that love you feel from her. She wields it like Magic. There is only one reference we have that talks about the things she does but they call her a Wielder of Life and Death."

Talking about the things that Rose could do made me think of the Journey that she is on. I thought of the things that Rhonda told me but it hurt to think of; so I quickly pushed the thoughts away. Dimitri pulled his hand from me and rubbed his eyes with both hands. Theresa had crawled over to Rose and was patting her hand.

"It's almost lunch time. Would you like me to bring you a tray?" He had his Guardian mask on. He must be done sharing his feelings. I decided not to pry.

"I need to get up and see my family." He took Theresa and I bent down to kiss Rose's cheek and let her know where I was going.

He helped me up and waited outside my door while I dressed. He walked with me keeping step with me. He must have been making sure I didn't fall. I felt very grateful to my big brother.

**~~*~~**

**Dimitri POV**

After lunch Adrian had to make a call to his aunt, Lissa had informed her that he and Rose had found the way to transform me from a Strigoi back to a Dhampir. She had told the Queen that because of the use of spirit we had all would be unconscious for a few days. Lissa managed to convince the queen not to come over but to wait till Adrian called her.

I am nervous. I really hope that Rose and Adrian don't get in any trouble because of me. As a Guardian I can see that what they did was very dangerous. The safest thing that Rose could have done was to kill me the night I attacked her. For them to have kept me alive and strong; and having me live so close to them while I was still Strigoi was well dangerous and stupid.

Even though it is hard to get through the day knowing what I have done, I am grateful to them for having saved me. I will get to be with my daughter and watch her grow. I will be able to teach her how to fight like I taught her mother. I wonder if Adrian would let me teach his children as well. Somehow I think he would want me to treat all the children the same. This truly has become a strange life.

"Dimitri, Tatiana is going to give us a week before Rose has to be back at work. On that day she wants to see all of us first thing in the morning."

"Is she mad at you over this?"

"She has some concerns but I think I can get her to understand."

At that moment I felt something. It was like a tug at my heart. It was the feeling I always got when ever Rose was near me. I smiled and leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"I think Roza is waking up. Maybe we should go sit with our wife." His eyes lit up and I could feel excitement emanate from him. Together we took off running for his room. As we were running a thought occurred to me. Before he opened the door I stopped him and again leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Does Rose know that according to tradition she and I are…. Well still married?" He shook his head.

"Does anyone ells here know?"

"Well your family of course knows but other than Yeva, none of them has ever said anything to me about it. I don't know if Helen or Janine knows but neither of them grew up in a Dhampir colony so I don't know if it is common knowledge or not. No one has ever talked about it to me."

"I would prefer that this stay between you and I. I know that she feels guilty as it is that she moved on and I haven't. I am afraid that she might not take it well. Especially since I had never told her that I thought of her like that."

"Agreed" He said.

We walked into the room, Adrian sat on the bed next her and took her right hand. I sat on the chair next to her and took her left hand. I could feel energy coming from Adrian; there was an intensity of joy radiating from him. Rose once told me how Lissa feels intense joy when she wields Spirit. I could feel Rose respond to spirit with her love. A moment later her eyes began to open. She looked first at him then me. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A Smile spread across her face. Her lips mouthed out a small prayer of thanks. Again she looked at both of us.

"It worked! I can't believe it Yeva was right, the answer was within me. I feel like such an idiot for not figuring it out sooner." She sat up and pulled me into a hug.

"Welcome back Comrade." Tears flowed down her eyes. She turned to Adrian.

"I can't believe we did it! Thank you for helping me. Thank you for understanding that I had to try to save him.

She pulled him into a hug then kissed him full on the lips. I felt that I should give them some time alone before I tell everyone that Rose was awake. As I turned to leave she called me back. When I turned to her she was blushing and had a sheepish smile on her face.

"Comrade, could you please bring me something to eat. I am starving." I had to smile; of all the Dhampirs I know she has always had the biggest appetite. The funny thing is that she is such a slender thing. I always wondered where she put it. I thought of one of my favorite American movies. 'The Princess Bride.' There was a line that Wesley always said to Buttercup when she asked him to do something for her. It was Wesley's way of saying "I Love You." I gave a little bow and said my line.

"As you wish."

I saw Adrian smile and give me a knowing look. I wonder if he liked that movie too. I hurried down to the kitchen. Helen was just pulling a loaf of black bread out of the oven.

"Helen could you slice some of that for me and butter it; Rose is awake and hungry." She agreed and began cutting thick slices. I went to the refrigerator and tried to find some leftovers to give her but I should have realized that in a house full of guardians there were never very many leftovers. Instead I opted for some fresh fruit and a tall glass of milk. When I turned back to Helen she had the black bread on a tray already spread with butter and honey. I cut up a quarter of a cantaloupe, pear and some strawberries into a bowl and placed them on the tray. While I had been cutting the fruit; Helen whipped up a quick cheese omelet. I poured the glass of milk and then carefully but quickly brought the tray up stairs to my Roza.

When I approached the door I could hear them arguing. I stopped to listen for a moment hoping that it was not about me. Rose was the one talking and I could hear her stubbornness bubbling up.

"No. I have already missed almost a week I am going back on Monday. I have a lot of stuff to get done. I need to send out contracts to the new hires and then I have to get things organized so I can get them here for training with the Moroi in the next few weeks."

"But Rose, you should rest. What about the baby."

"Oh god Adrian I told you last time that I am pregnant not dying. I fought two Strigoi two weeks before I gave birth to Theresa. I just want to go back to work in my boring little office and get this program going. I feel fine and if Sasha gives me the ok I am going back to work on Monday."

"I know it's just that I worry."

"That is what I love about you even though it does drive me nuts sometimes."

Just then I heard her stomach growl and decided to knock on the door. Adrian opened it and Rose's face brightened at the sight of the tray. I couldn't hold back a chuckle as I brought it in and placed it in front of her.

"Thank you Comrade. Can I ask what you meant when you said "As you wish" it just seemed odd."

I didn't know how to explain it but thankfully Adrian spoke up.

"It is a line from some movie called the princess bride." She looked like she got it but when she spoke I realized that she must not have connected it to the meaning just the movie.

"Is that the movie with the weak silly girl who gave up on her true love and agreed to marry the spoiled prince? Then she found out her true love was still alive and he had to save her from marrying the prince." I nodded and looked over at Adrian. He had a slightly disgruntled look on his face. I had to admit that it almost sounded like there were some similarities in the situations from the movie and ours. Rose continued. "Christian made us watch that movie once. I thought the fight scenes were cool and I liked the swamp. The whole movie is kind of cheesy but Chris said it was one of his favorites."

"It has always been one of mine." She looked a little embarrassed that she has made fun of my taste in movies.

"Oh sorry I didn't know that."

"It's Ok. Janine, Lissa, Christian, Eddie and Nicolai are at court for a few more hours but your father is here and some of the other guardians have been asking about you. That Ivan seems very preoccupied with worry for you." I tried not to show any jealousy but it was difficult.

"Argh! I wonder if he will ever let me reassign him. I am sick of being a Guardian who has a Guardian. Thank God Nicolai asked to guard Christian or I would have still been stuck with him too."

"A Guardian with a Guardian?" She lost me there.

"Yeah after your card arrived at my wedding I agreed to let Abe send two of his Guardians with us on our honeymoon. I was thinking of Adrian's safety. The problem is that I haven't been able to shake them ever since." She actually looked pissed at me.

"Sorry. I will go get Abe and Theresa."

I walked out before she could say anything more.

~~*~~

Rose had spoken to Lissa through there bond and told her that she was awake and feeling well. I was surprised to hear that the bond now went both ways. Before Rose could hear Lissa through the bond but she could never speak to her. Rose explained that after she has escaped from me but before she could get back to Montana Lissa was in danger. Another spirit user a girl named Avery, had tried to get Lissa to jump from the top floor of the guest housing. She wanted to bring the princess back from the dead and make them bonded. Rose had figured out her plan but couldn't get to her in time.

Fortunately Rose was with another spirit user named Oksona. Rose went into Lissa's head and then Oksona went into hers. Together they sent Spirit to Lissa to help her fight against the compulsion from Avery. Adrian could literally see the use of spirit and came to see what was going on. He ended up helping Lissa fight Avery too.

Somehow the triple spirit whammy as Rose called it must have done something to enhance the bond. It was after that that Lissa gained the ability to heal Rose remotely. She could also feel her feelings and sometimes Read her thoughts. Rose also began to gain new abilities and she gained better control on some that she had.

Rose was with Abe in the family room playing with Theresa. I sat in a corner of the room reading one of my books. I had to say that I really wasn't paying much attention to it. I was lost in thought. So many changes have happened since I was taken. There were the big things like the relationship between Rose and Adrian or Rose having my baby. There were other things too, little things. I knew that Janine had become one of Lissa's guardians because I saw that from my surveillance. Rose had finally made peace with Janine. I was glad to see this. They were not as close as I am to my mother but they had a good relationship.

Adrian was a bit of a surprise to me. The last time I had seen him he was a chain smoking drunk. He had a reputation for sleeping around with many Moroi women. Rose was a huge flirt but she never took him seriously. Well I guess that was because she was in love with me. But still I could never imagine her with someone like him. One of the times that Adrian had given us time to talk by ourselves I asked her if Adrian had really changed. She told me that he had changed in part for her and in part for himself. Bottom line was he was still Adrian only better.

My thoughts lingered on Adrian some more. I thought about the how I could see his thoughts when he touched me this morning. I saw Rose through his eyes. To me she was My Roza but to him she was his Lil' Dhampir. To him the name was not only his term of endearment for her but he held a lot of respect for Dhampirs. For Rose he had the upmost respect.

I saw how her new abilities made him feel so many things. He was proud of her He knew that she would be someone important. But also each new agility marked a countdown to something he was dreading. I felt the pain of loss at the end of the countdown. He was going to lose her but it was more than that he was going to lose everyone he loved. There was also jealousy and gratitude towards me. He saw that one day the tables would be turned and I was going to be the one to take care of his family. The strength of that conviction frightened me. I had to pull my arm away from him.

I don't know why he believes this but I know one thing. I had to protect him. I owe him so much; he has taken care of my Roza and protected her from me when I would have done the worst things to her. I could feel that he loved my daughter just as much as he loved his child that Rose now carried. Even though it must have hurt him to do so; he has stood by Rose and helped her save me. He has made me feel loved and welcomed in his home and his family.

I found my reason to move forward. I may not be worthy of the task but I will be my brothers second Guardian. For my Roza and for his child I will keep him safe.

* * *

Ok here is today's quiz

**Do you think that Adrian will be able to get through to Dimitri and help him see his extrasensory ablilities and and strenth that are residual effects or being stigoi as potential gifts?**

**Adrian's rep as a womanizer only involves Moroi. Why do you think that is?**

**How long do you think it will take for Abe to like Dimitri?**

**Bonus Essay Question**

**What do you think of the Close Relationship between Adrian and Dimitri?**

Pass your answers to the front by clicking on the button.

Miss SnowGoose


	31. Adjustments

**Ok here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it; it is quite long. Next chapter is going to be shorter , sorry.**

**I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.**

* * *

Chapter 31: Adjustments

Victoria POV

The drive from the little court airport to Rose's home feels like the longest leg of the trip. I can't wait to see Dimka. I have not seen him since the funeral of Ivan Zeklos, which was nearly two and a half years ago. Yeva said that he is not the same man that he used to be. I guess I would have to expect him to be even more serious. I wonder how he feels about living with Rose and Adrian. How does he feel about Adrian being married to the wife of his heart? I wonder if she knows that she is still married to my brother. Marrying Adrian wasn't wrong since Dimitri was considered dead. Still way back then I wanted her to know why we considered him her widow. I wanted to explain to her about the traditions and legends of this kind of bond. Unfortunately on the plane ride here for her graduation and wedding Yeva made each of us swear not to say anything to Rose or Adrian about it, even Abe and Sydney had sworn to keep the secret.

I remember when she told us that there was a way to return his soul and that she and Adrian were going to try to find it; I almost slipped but one look from Yeva and I changed my question. I almost asked her what she would do if she managed to save Dimitri, she would have two husbands. At the last moment I changed the last part of the question instead I asked what she would do being married to Adrian if she still loved my brother. She said that she did love Dimitri but that her love for him had not gotten the chance to grow and change. What she felt for Adrian was different and that she will always love my brother but she would never leave Adrian for him.

I have to admit that I felt a bit jealous for my brother. I remembered how broken Rose had been when she came to us in Russia. Yeva had told us that this girl was Dimitri's wife of his heart in the truest and deepest meaning. Hearing her say that she would stay with Adrian made me a little mad but I saw a look of satisfaction in Yeva eyes. The answer that Rose gave was the answer that Yeva had hoped that she would say.

I really don't understand the journey that Rose is on or why my brother and half brother both are on it with her. Yeva said that things are coming to pass as they should be. Yeva told me that when the time came she would let me read the book of legends and prophecy that has been passed in her family from oldest daughter to oldest daughter. She will not be handing the book down to momma, instead she will be giving it to Dimitri. I really want to know why Yeva has been so secretive about the book. I had never even heard about it till Rose found and tried to kill Dimitri. When everyone else was surprised that Rose was carrying Dimitri's child Yeva acted as if she already knew.

The house comes into view and standing out front is Dimitri Adrian and Rose. Before the car can even come to a complete stop momma opened the door and jumped out. She took Dimitri into her arms and both of them began to cry. Within moments everyone was crying and hugging. He looked so good and strong. Yeva went to Adrian and cupped his face in her hands. (This looked funny because she is a good foot and a half shorter than him and he had to bend down to make it easier for her.) She looked into his eyes and whispered something to him. He gave her a look of shock but then a smile lit up his face. I wonder what she told him. Dimitri was watching this exchange as well and I could see relief wash over his face.

Dimitri POV

I spent the whole evening talking and catching up with my family. Viktoria, my baby sister who is just a few years younger than my Roza I am ashamed to say; quietly stayed by my side most of the night. It was nice to have her there. She didn't demand my attention but having her there was reassuring. Oh how I have missed my family. Paul is so much like I was at his age. Theresa was happy to be passed from one person to another. She is a happy baby, someone called her a Giggle girl and now I am afraid that has become one of her nick names along with Essa. (Pronounced with a long E)

Every once in a while I would feel guilty that I am here with my family while the many victims of my time as a Strigoi are forever taken from theirs. One thing I can say is that I never did awaken anyone but that was because I was holding out for rose. In my climb up the ranks within Galina's gang I killed five other Strigoi.

It made me happy to see how integrated my family was with Rose's family. I was a bit surprised that Yeva and Abe seemed to get along so well. She is an excellent judge of character and it is a relief to know she approves of my Roza's family. My family fussed over the Lissa's children. Lissa introduced them to my family as if we were all blood related. Arianna and Isabela have been calling me uncle for the last few days but I was surprised to hear them call my mother, grandma. I was glad that my family loves Lissa so much; she is after all more of a sister to Rose than a friend.

Momma and Yeva and Rose all got together to make dinner for everyone. I am glad that Rose has such a large dining room table; thankfully there was room enough for everyone. Momma made stroganoff which is one of my favorites. Yeva made Zapekanka ez tvoroga s yablakame it's a baked apple cheesecake, for dessert. Roza had made the black bread and I have to say it was as good as my mothers. I was proud to see how much my family loved Roza; it was evident how much she loved them. Momma and Janine spent most of the evening talking about our little giggle girl and how much she has grown.

We talked late into the night when the sun began to shine brightly through the layers of white cotton curtain; I decided that I needed some time to myself to reflect.

"I think it's time for me to get some sleep so if you will excuse me I will see you all in the morning."

There was a fresh round of hugs, kisses and good nights. It seemed that everyone else decided that they should get some rest too. I took a quick shower and dressed for bed. Before heading to my room I went to the nursery to say good night to Essa. Rose was in there with her changing her diaper.

"I Rose; I just came in to say good night to my little princess." She gave me a funny little smile and chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Her daddy Dimitri, who is a Guardian, calls her a Princess and her daddy Adrian, who is Royal, calls her his littlest Dhampir."

"I guess I see the irony in that."

Rose sat with the baby on the rocking chair nearest the crib there was another chair on the other side of the room so I brought it close so that I could be near my little family. Once I was seated and saw that Rose was nursing Theresa I almost got up to leave. Rose saw this and motioned for me to stay.

"We haven't gotten a chance to talk privately yet. How are you Comrade?"

"I am fine."

"Comrade, that was my line and no you're not. Sometimes you get real quiet and I know you are thinking of the sins of the Strigoi."

"You have always been able to see me better than anyone else ever has."

"Yeah, well back at you. So many times I have felt that you know me better than I even know myself. Thank you by the way; you really helped me learn to see my mother differently. I have a real relationship with her now."

"I have noticed. I have noticed a lot about you Roza. Last year when I fell in love with you I thought you were so mature for someone so young. I see how much you have grown and matured. I realize that you were still a child when we, well before the attack happened." I expected her to get mad at me but she surprised me, she always surprises me.

"Your right I was a child, but I don't have any regrets about making love with you that night. Even if I had known everything that would happen after; I would still have made the same decision. Especially because I have our baby; nothing could make me take her back."

She looked down at our daughter. There was so much love him her gaze. Theresa looked back at her and smiled a huge smile. Rose looked up at me and gave me a small sweet smile. We just sat there looking into each other's eyes for a few minutes. There was no regret, longing, or passion in our exchange; just the contentment of being together as a family. Adrian tapped on the door and we both smiled at him.

"I wanted to wish my littlest Dhampir sweet dreams." This brought a small laugh to both Rose and I. Adrian gave us bewildered look.

"I'll explain it to you later when we are walking." He nodded.

"Good night brother." He gave me a one armed hug. He kissed the baby on her head and Rose on the lips before leaving.

"So Comrade, you didn't really answer your question. How are you?" I took a deep breath.

"Your right I have been dwelling on all the people I have killed. Tonight it was difficult to be with my family knowing that I have taken so many people from their families."

"I understand what Strigoi are, through talking with the ghosts I have learned more than even the Strigoi know. When you were awakened you're soul was forced out of your body. The body is left with no moral compass. With no soul demons take possession. That is why Strigoi are so evil. The soul is still bound to the body and unable to stop the demons from influencing the body. Your soul did the impossible. There were times that though it couldn't stop you from making a kill; it was able to guide you to less innocent pray. To do this takes a very pure soul."

She covered her bared breast and offered me that baby to burp.

"Dimitri when a Strigoi who had been awakened by force is killed; or in your case returned to your body, you were absolved of the sins done by the Strigoi. The only one keeping you from full absolution is you. Maybe if you go to the church and have a long talk with God and maybe the priest as well you will feel better."

"Rose, how can I forgive myself when I can't get the memories of all those people out of my head?"

"You may never be able to get the memories of them out of your head but you have to learn to let go and move on. Maybe by rededicating yourself to protecting others from the Strigoi, I know that you planned on taking a year or two off but maybe we should look into getting you back into the system and ask for an assignment here at court."

"I will think about it. Good night Roza." I kissed her forehead and the baby's sleeping head. Then for reasons I cannot be sure of I asked if I could say good night to her unborn child. She gave me a confused look but nodded. I leaned down and whispered to her belly in Russian. I told it that I was going to protect his or her mommy and daddy with everything I have in me. I know Rose has not learned enough Russian to understand me but she smiled at me anyway.

I went back to my room and got into bed. With the light that came through the edges of the window shade I could see the picture of Rose and me in training.

I lay there thinking about the relationship I have with her. Almost since I first began working with Rose back when I became her mentor I felt particularly attuned to her. There were times that I could feel her emotions, I just thought I had good intuition; I do but with her it was exceptional. I always knew when she was nearby it was like only I could feel her energy. Every time that we touched I felt a current run from her to me and me to her. After they returned my soul to me I feel that this special connection has become stronger. As much as it hurts me, I realize that she truly is (Moya supruga moego serdtsa) my spouse of my heart. This is the term used to describe the type of marriage that Rose and I have. It also has a deeper connotation; it is something along the lines of soul mate but even that is not a strong enough description. This kind of relationship comes with a magical bond of its own. It is not a bond that cannot be broken. I wish I had known before, I wish I could have told her that night in the cabin what she means to me. I cannot tell her now. Our relationship is complicated enough without adding this to it.

I see that she is happy and I am truly happy for her. I love Adrian because he is my brother and because I see what he has done for Rose. I know how much that they love each other. I am resolved not to impose my feelings into their marriage.

Being spirit bound to someone really was strange. I had my own thoughts and emotions to deal with and now I also had Adrian's as well. It has only been a couple of days that we have been bonded but I can feel his joy when he is with Rose and Theresa. Along with every happy emotion there is a tinge of sadness. He so firmly believes that he will be leaving them soon. It scares me when he dwells on this. I want so much to ask him why he believes this but at the same time I am afraid to know. Each time I feel him think I like that, I reaffirm my decision to be his Guardian and protect my brother from harm. I don't know what Yeva told Adrian when she first got off the car. Whatever she told him took away some of his anxiety. I wish I knew what she knows. I know enough not to ask her; she will just tell me that I am asking questions that I should not be asking.

Sometime in the middle of my sleep I was woken up by feelings of love and passion. I knew that they had nothing to do with my dreams because I wasn't dreaming before I woke up. After a few minutes I realized that it was through the bond that I felt it. Oh that must mean that Adrian and Rose were….. This is what Lissa meant when she said it would suck to be me. She was right, this does suck. It is hard enough to know that they are married and able to enjoy each other as married couples do but it was excruciating to know that it is happening when it happens. I rolled over and tried to ignore it after awhile the feelings subsided. I was just about asleep when I felt it again. Ignoring it didn't do any good. I decided to go downstairs and find something to occupy my mind.

I put on some workout cloths and went into the small gym. To my surprise Lissa was in there trying to punch the punching bag.

"Princess what are you doing in here at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep; I knew you would have trouble too so and I figured you might need someone to talk to."

"Why can't you sleep?" She gave me a wry smile.

"Same reason you can't. The bunnies are busy having what they like to call a bedroom battle. Thank goodness they are dream walking or it might be worse."

"How do you know this?" She sat on a stack of mats and motioned for me to sit across from her.

"After she saved me from Avery I became bonded to her too but to a lesser degree. Along with giving her the ability to talk with me through the bond, I have a general buzz on her feelings like she has always had on me. Because I can feel her emotions when they are heightened the feelings gets stronger. I can put up walls and try to block them but I am not as good at doing it as she is. Her energy and magic are not up to full strength yet so her block was not very strong." I took a moment to process this information. She asked another question.

"Did you get sucked into her head?" I shook my head.

"I am bound to her but in a different way and I have been since I first met her. The one I am spirit bound to is Adrian." She gave me a surprised look.

"Wasn't Rose the only one touching you? What we did to you was pretty much the same thing we did when Rose saved Misty Blue; Misty is only bonded to Rose. She likes everyone but when Rose had been in the middle of an emotional overload Misty will go out of her way to find and help Rose."

"When I bit into Rose Adrian prepared to pull her away from me. He had his hand on my chest."

"Oh"

"What do you mean about getting sucked in?"

"By the time you brought us to the Academy we had been bonded for over two years already and our bond was fully formed. When I fell in love with Christian and we became intimate; the strength of my emotions would pull her into my head. She had to try to pull herself out because when she is in my head she experiences everything as if she was me. She jokes about it now. She says that she nearly lost her virginity to Christian through me. I know that it still bugs her sometimes."

"I remember times that she would come for morning practice and she would be tired and in a foul mood. I would be able to feel sexual tension, frustration and jealousy from her but she never would tell me what was wrong."

"The jealousy was because I could have the man I loved but she had to try to deny her feelings for you."Lissa's face was remorseful. "I wish I had known that she loved you. I was so mad at her for not telling me. It wasn't till you had been captured that I figured it out."

"Lissa we didn't want anyone to know especially since we were trying not to allow ourselves to act on it. Telling you would have made it more real to us. Also I believe that she wanted to spare you the guilt of knowing why we couldn't be together."

"You were wrong you know; she can be a good guardian and be in love too. I have seen her in action. Even with Adrian in the room she did her job and did it exceptionally well."

"Adrian told me the same thing. I should have never doubted that she could handle it. At the time I didn't think I could."

"I guess I am grateful to you for worrying about me."

"What was she like when she came back from the caves?" She closed her eyes and gave a sigh.

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" I nodded and she continued. "Janine and Alberta practically had to drag her back to the academy. They had to wait till daylight to go back and look for the bodies. When they came back without yours she lost it. She ran out of the wards and began talking to herself. Well that is what it looked like, she was talking to mason. She found out from him that you were Strigoi. She was so upset that she threw up. She was so quiet and withdrawn after that; part of her died in those caves with you. I knew that she was planning to go find you. I was so hurt that she was willing to leave me to look for you. She went to Adrian so she could fund her search she wouldn't tell him where she was going or what she was planning to do but she talked him into giving her the money. He asked her if she was coming back and she told him she was going to try to. He asked her if she would give him a chance when she got back." She stopped and wiped her eyes.

"Her birthday was a week after the attack and I knew she was going to leave me. I went to the gates to try to talk her out of it. She was so surprised that I knew her plan. But I remembered the conversation in the van; when you asked her what she would want someone to do for her if she was ever turned. She said she would want someone to kill her. You said you felt the same way. She was going to try to keep her promise to you." She looked up at me and there was guilt in her eyes. "I should have gone with her. Instead of understanding her need to go to you I was jealous that for the first time she was putting her needs above mine."

She stood up and went to the punching bag again. Her stance was all wrong as was the way she made her fist. I jumped up and grabbed her hand before she could hurt herself. Without saying anything I showed her my fist in the correct position and she imitated it. Then I moved her legs into a balanced stance. Then I slowly showed her to pull back her hand and snap it forward. She nodded and tried again. It was better but still I wouldn't want to see her fight against a first year novice let alone someone with training. After a minute she continued.

"I am afraid that I have not always been a good friend to her. I was so self absorbed that I never saw that she loved you. Then when she came back and found out got the note and stake from you; I talked her into not going after you again. So she tried to get passed you. Adrian had tried to quit drinking when Rose left but Avery made him take it up again. Once we knew she was coming home he got help from Dr Olendzki to quit smoking and drinking. He wanted to be a better man for her. He was very honest with her and she decided to give him a chance. I was jealous because she was falling for him and Christian and I were broken up. After a few weeks of dating her he figured out that she was having your baby. He made sure she got proper medical care and moved her into his suite in the housing building so that people would automatically think it was his child. Then he proposed to her and I got more upset because she was making new plans. Everything she and I had dreamed of was going to change. She has put my need ahead of hers for so long but I had trouble changing my plans to accommodate her needs and wants for once. It wasn't until the day of her wedding that I finally got a grip. Adrian found me sulking and we talked. He asked me if I thought my life was more important that hers? If I felt that she was not entitled to have a life and happiness too? It was then that I saw how petty I was being. I am truly happy for her now and I realize that things have worked out better than we had ever dreamed.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She seemed to be checking something. When she opened her eyes she looked relieved.

"Their asleep, it's safe to go to bed now. I will meet you here tomorrow night and help you work on putting up a mental barricade. You should tell Adrian about being bound to him. It really makes it easier for me when Rose put up a wall first, then I know to put one up and vice versa."  
I walked her to her floor then went back to my room. I was exhausted, the moment my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.

Rose POV

The next few days passed in the company of my family. For the first time I could honestly say that it was complete. I was almost tempted to take the next week off from work but I knew that my work at court is very important so tomorrow morning I am going to go back to work and face the pile on my desk. Yeva, Olena and I will be making dinner again for our family. We gave Helen a week off so that she could go visit her daughter and grandchildren who live in Ann Arbor Michigan. Though I miss her because she is become part of my family I wanted her to enjoy time with her family too.

Adrian likes to see me cooking with Olena and Yeva. When they had stayed with us last time and I began to cook with them he had been so surprised that I had any inkling what I was doing in the kitchen. When Lissa and I lived on our own for two years and Lissa refused to live off of McDonalds every night; I had to learn to make healthy meals. Lissa and I had many fun nights watching Rachael Ray and trying to copy her 30 min meals. I actually got somewhat good at it I may not have cooked when I lived in the academy because it was not expected of me. Even when I lived with Adrian in guest housing and we had a kitchenette I didn't see the point in cooking when we were a few buildings and a court yard away from a perfectly good dining hall. It is different now because I am cooking with my family, for my family. I wouldn't want to have to do it every night but it is fun to do with Dimitri's mom. Janine has tried to help us in the kitchen, she is hopeless. When she joins us we have her put the already chopped ingredients of the salad together. Dimitri sat in the kitchen in the morning watching us figure out our menu. Well I thought that is what he was doing. I had made three fresh loaves of black bread in the oven earlier. I pulled them out of the oven and set them on the rack to cool.

"Rose may I have some bread?" Without looking up; I answered.

"Yeah, go ahead." I saw Olena smile but I was too intent on deciding what I was going to make. Tonight I wanted to make dessert but I was really tied on what I wanted to make, I was struggling between a Russian Apple Mousse or good old fashioned Chocolate Cake.

A few minutes later I heard Yeva and Olena Chuckle then break out in full rich laughter.

"What's so funny?" They both pointed to Dimitri who was had a mouth full of the last piece of a whole loaf. I swear he looked like a guilty child. I had to laugh too. "Olena now I know why you made him learn to make it for himself."

"I like the way you make it Roza." I shook my head at him.

"Using my nick name is not going to get you out of this one Comrade. You ate a loaf now make one to replace it." I was using my no nonsense guardian face but he could hear the laughter in my voice. He chuckled but obediently went about making a fresh batch. I noticed that he kept eating my loaves while his were working. Just as he was putting his bread on the rack to rise; Arianna and Izzy belly button (my nick name for Isabela) ran in to the kitchen.

"Uncle Dimitri there is a lady here to visit with you. Momma Lissa said to tell you that Lady Ozera is in the sitting room." I could hear him give a small groan.

"Tell her that I will be there in a moment with some refreshments." They went running out to give the message. I smiled after them; already they were so much a part of our family. I watched Dimitri to see what he would put together as his refreshments.

He sliced some of my bread and spread it with butter and a touch of honey. He brewed some tea and placed everything neatly with cream and sugar on a tray. It almost seemed like he was taking his time. I was not the only one to notice.

"Dimka, your guest is waiting for you."

"Yes Momma" He lifted the tray and left the kitchen.

"I wonder what that is about; they have always been good friends. She is a very nice lady. Ok well I didn't like her for a while because she had offered him a position as her Guardian with the hopes that they could eventually have children. But that was a long time ago and well I am married to Adrian now and I am going to have Adrian's child. Just as long as he stays in Theresa's life; wouldn't hold it against him if he wanted to move on with his."

Dimitri spent about an hour talking alone with Tasha; I was surprised when I saw Dimitri help with her coat.

"Tasha would you like to stay for dinner?"

"No thank you I have some things to take care of. Will you be at work tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'll see you then." She nodded and Dimitri walked her to her car.

Dimitri had to wait till I was done baking my cake before he could back his loaves of Black Bread. I have to admit I was curious to see how his tasted. Olena had said that he was good at making it.

Sasha, Andrew and their children came for dinner. I was glad that they came early; Arianna and Izzy like to play with them and all of them like to feed and ride the horses. Christian and Andrew played with them and helped them up for the rides. The horses were now used to being handled by Dhampirs and Moroi alike, Dimitri was still too unsure to go near them.

As soon as the kids were off playing; Sasha told Dimitri she had the results of his blood test. He requested that only He Adrian and I be there to hear the results. I had thought that the fangs were a superfluous anomaly leftover from being a former Strigoi. I was wrong; like our daughter he was a higher mix of Moroi to Human. He was not a full Moroi so he was still technically a Dhampir. Theresa was 2/3 Moroi and her he was ¾ Moroi.

She reconfirmed that he would need to take blood at least every two to three days. She wanted him to start now. He looked at Adrian with a look of panic. I knew how upset he was about needing to feed but this was something that he needed to do for his health as well as the safety of our family.

"Come brother I will take you to visit with Alice." Dimitri's head went low and he allowed Adrian to lead him off to Alice's room. I followed and stood outside the door with Sasha. Adrian sat Dimitri on a chair across in front of the easy chair that Alice sat on.

"Hello Mr. Guardian. I am so glad that you are back. I was wondering when your wife was going to figure out that she already know how to save you." Dimitri and Adrian both looked at Alice then back at me. I stepped forward. This old lady was loony as a jay bird but she sometimes had insight into things.

"Alice I was like Dimitri's wife a long time ago but when he was taken I became his widow."

"A dead man has a widow; a living man has a wife." She shook her head at me like I was a silly child. "Mr. Guardian, are you here to try to feed? Sometimes it is good to try new things but sometimes it is best to stick to what we know. Isn't that right Mrs. Guardian?" With that she exposed her neck to Dimitri. I could feel his revulsion radiate from him; he leaned forward and carefully bit. I could see her face begin to get glassy eyed. The waves of nausea that rolled off Dimitri made me feel sick I ran to Alice's small bathroom and lost my lunch. In the other room I could hear Dimitri doing the same thing. I finished being sick, flushed the toilet and rinsed my mouth out with water. Dimitri was standing by the door waiting for a turn to rinse.

"Perhaps you should go back to your old feeder, Mr. Guardian." Dimitri shook his head. He looked at me with sad eyes.

"That is something I would not want to do to her again."

"Well then maybe someone ells would be more to your liking." She turned to pay attention to her TV. We left her room taking her waist paper basket with us.

Sasha made a phone call to the feeders at court and within twenty minutes a car drove up with three feeders. I recognized their driver.

"Ambrose? How are you doing?"

"I am very good. I hear that you have had a baby since the last time I saw you."

"Yes Theresa is napping right now and I am expecting another child."

"Wow you work fast. When are you due?"

"Mid October." This made him laugh.

"Wow. About ten months apart? That is what is called Irish Twins."

I just shook my head and smiled at him for his easy manners. I remember how I used to judge him because he chose not to be a guardian but after having been in out in the world and seen the sacrifices that guardians have to make; I could hardly blame him for choosing something else.

For me I could see no higher honor than being chosen to protect my best friend. I could feel that Dimitri still felt the same way. Somehow I could feel that he has already chosen to reapply for Guardianship. I think I might have to pull some strings to keep him at court so that he can be close to Theresa.

I lead him and the three feeders to the sitting room where Dimitri, Adrian and Sasha were waiting.

"Guardian Belikov, I thought you were…." Thankfully Ambrose stopped mid sentence.

"I was Rose found a way to save me." Dimitri looked down and would not look anyone in the eyes after that. I pulled Ambrose to the side and quickly explained about him being ¾ Moroi and needing to feed now.

"Wow that is kinda cool!" He whispered to me. I shook my head.

"Not to him it isn't. The last thing he wants to do is take blood from another person ever again."

"Oh!" A look of understanding crossed his face. Sasha told the feeders that Dimitri was having trouble tolerating blood and we were trying to find a feeder whose blood he could tolerate. Honestly by the glassy looks these three had I don't think that they cared.

The first one up was a tall blond guy. He looked young and healthy, almost athletic. Ambrose told me he was a new feeder who just started this week. Dimitri steeled himself and bent down for the bite. I could see that the instant his blood touched Dimitri's tongue he wanted to retch again. I had to breathe deeply myself to keep from getting sick again myself. He pulled his mouth away and spit the blood into my large mixing bowl that Sasha had for him.

"Perhaps we should let him do this without an audience." I looked into Dimitri's eyes as I said this. He nodded to me" I led every one out of the room except for Dimitri, Sasha and the short strawberry blond woman who was next up. I leaned my head against the cool window pane. I knew that any moment his nausea would come over me. When It did I had to hold on to the wall to keep from passing out. Adrian was at my side in a flash.

"You can feel how sick it makes him, cant you." I nodded.

"I don't know why this is happening to me. I have always been attuned to him ever since we met but nothing like this."

"It will be ok." He held me as Sasha ushered the strawberry blond out and asked the last feeder to come in. I saw a look for worry on her face. A sweet looking, Asian girl went into the room. I waited for the nausea but it didn't come.

"He doesn't want to try any more. I can feel it." As he held me I could feel his tension. His body relaxed and he pulled me away enough to look into my face.

"Rose would you be willing?"

" Of course but I don't think he will."

"You have to try to convince him. I am going to get him something to drink."

I knocked on the door and Sasha answered.

"Can I talk to him privately?" She gave me a knowing glance and let the confused feeder out. Adrian came back with a shot glass and a tumbler both full of clear liquids. We entered the room together. Adrian handed Dimitri the shot glass first.

"Russian Vodka" Dimitri took it and drank it down. I gave Adrian a funny look. He mouthed out 'Abe's special supply.' Dimitri handed the shot glass back.

"Thank you." Next Adrian handed him the tumbler

"This one is water." Dimitri took the water and drank it down. Before handing the glass back. I knelt down and looked him in the eye.

"Dimitri I know that the last thing you want to do is take blood, but you need to. I want you to try one more time." He shook his head.

"It's no use. I can't keep it down. I need to; I can feel that I do. If I don't then I will be a danger to everyone I love." He began to cry.

I sat in his lap and held him close to me. I knew that I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I looked up at Adrian; he too had tears streaming down his cheeks. I gave him a nod and he moved the hair away from my neck. I put one hand behind Dimitri's head and lifted his chin with the other. I saw him focus on my neck for a split second. He began to shake his head but gently I leaned my body against his. I inclined my head so that my neck met his mouth. He allowed me to press his lips to my neck then I wrapped my arms around him. He took a deep breath. He whispered something to me half in English and half Russian.

"I will do this for my daughter and for you Moya supruga moego serdtsa."

I could feel him open his mouth and gently sink his fangs in. He fed very tentatively at first but his need urged him on. It didn't take him long to take what he needed. He turned his head so that his mouth was facing the opposite direction but he held on to me and cried for several more minutes. Once he was calm he loosened his hold on me. He looked into my face he reached up and wiped up my tears with his thumb.

"I should have known it would be you Roza." He looked up at Adrian. "Spasibo, brat, ya znayu, chto eto trudno delit yee s soboi. YA lyublyu vaz vashe blagorodstvo." (Thank you brother, I know that it is hard to share her with me. I love you for your generosity.)

I had no idea what Dimitri said to Adrian but Adrian knelt down and took both of us into a hug. When he was done he offered me a hand and I took it. Adrian healed my neck and tried to wipe the blood off with his hand before we opened the door.

"Ambrose, we are going to have to figure something else out. Thank you for your time and trouble." His eyes moved to my neck and I shook my long hair towards the front to cover it up. Under his breath so that only I could hear he said.

"Wow, now that is love. I bet it comes in handy to have one husband who can heal you for the other."

"Ok you are the second person today who has referred to me as Dimitri's wife. I understand that the relationship we had; was considered like a marriage within the Dhampir colonies but once he was taken and awakened by the Strigoi I became his widow."

"Rosemarie Hathaway Belikov Ivashkov, you live a much more complicated life than you know." He got into his car and drove off. I suddenly had a huge headache.

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_**Why did Yeva want to keep it secret from Rose that she is still married to Dimitri?**_

_**What will Rose do when she finds out?**_

_**What do you think Yeva told adrian?**_

_**Why do you think that Dimitri could tolorate feeding from Rose but not anyone else?**_

**I hope you read and review. I have stayed up to post this. I have to get some sleep now and in 3 1/2 hours. I am risking life and limb at the hand of a bunch of 3 and4 yr old tomorrow. Oh well even if thay tie me up with my own masking tape I love writing. And yeah I love my class.**

**Suzanna**


	32. The Inquisition

**I hope you like the chapter. I have to say that it is a small world, and sometimes it feels like it is getting smaller. You will see what I mean if you just read on.**

Weesa You told me to POST DAMN IT POST! and I tell you REVIEW DAMN IT, REVIEW! LOL

**I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you**

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Chapter 32: The Inquisition

Dimitri POV

As Lissa had said Rose and Adrian kept me up again. I spent literally half my night down in the gym with Lissa. We alternated between her trying to teach me to build a mental wall to block them out, and me taking out my frustration ether in a run or the punching bag. Lissa had been very patient and understanding about my taking brakes. At one point I had gotten so frustrated and growled so loud I scared the poor girl.

"Are they like this every night? My God when do they sleep?" I looked over at Vasilisa and her eyes were like saucers. "I lowered my voice. "I am sorry Lissa, It's just well… Are they always like this?" She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I am afraid so. After they got together I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me and Christian because we aren't as well…. Amorous as they are. My research says the average young couple gets intimate 2-3 times a week. They are 2-3 times a night unless they are very tired or if it is a night that they don't dream walk; then it is only once."

I remembered the day that I came to spy on them here at their home and saw them sleeping on the swing. It had been obvious to me at the time that they must have had an intimate encounter during a dream walk.

"How do you deal with it without going mad?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"When I feel Rose put up her part of the block I put up mine. It goes from overpowering to just a slight buzz. And when I am getting intimate with Christian I put up my block that way she puts up her block so that I don't pull her into my head."

"I love my Roza and of course I still desire her as I always have but I respect the relationship that she has with Adrian. I try not to think of her in a sexual way. I really don't want to experience this feeling or worse; getting pulled in."

"I know Dimitri, you would not have come here looking for a distraction every night if you didn't respect them the way you do." Lissa got a faraway look for a moment. Then she smiled. "You're safe to go to sleep now she has unblocked herself; their done for the night." I walked her up to her door.

"Did she keep you awake again tonight or did you just come to help me?"

"You and Rose have saved me so many times; helping you with this is the least I can do." She gave me a light hug and a peck on the cheek. "Good night"

Lissa is correct; I am going to have to tell Adrian that we are bonded. I need some help with the blocking. The princess thinks that he will have to learn how to block me out as well. He has never had anyone to block out before and she is not sure if blocking Auras is done the same way.

I am very grateful to Lissa for working with me. I can only imagine what it was like for Rose to have to deal with this alone. Though I wonder if was worse for her because she was being pulled into encounters with a man who she had no romantic feelings. Or would it be worse for me if I actually get pulled into Adrian's head and experience his encounter with my Roza. Ether one seems wrong; it is a violation of personal boundaries. For her the idea of being sucked into Lissa's head must have made her feel like she was being forced' like a rape. Thankfully she was always able to get back into her own head in time. Thought I am sure that this was a large part of the reason she always acted abrasively towards Christian.

I may still desire Roza but for me it would feel like I was the one who was violating the sanctity of the relationship between her and Adrian. I respect him and love him; the intimacy that they share should be kept sacred. I am hoping to learn to block them out before the bond strengthens to the point that I get pulled into his head. I hope that one day I will be able to control it the way Rose does. I have seen how useful a tool it is when protecting your charge. It would better serve me to protect my brother if I could keep tabs on him like Rose does with Lissa.

My alarm went off again and I pulled myself out of bed. It took all my discipline to get showered, shaved and down to breakfast in a timely manner. Adrian was dishing out scrambled eggs on to several plates that already had bacon. Christian was putting golden hash browns on each plate. He motioned for me to sit down at the table.

"Coffee, tea, milk or Juice?"

"Coffee, please" He poured me a large mug and handed it to me. He then served a plate to everyone around the kitchen table. I thanked him for the coffee and the food. I noticed that the only ones here were those who would be going to court.

"Where are the others?" Rose turned to answer me.

"Since we like to leave for court so early they sleep in and leave us to our work morning ritual. The only difference today is that Helen is still on vacation."

"Uncle Dimitri, are you going to court with us?" Isabela asked. I nodded and she smiled. "I have a teacher there and there are other kids there. Tanya and Courtney are my friends but Noah is a mean bugger bottom." It is hard not to see some similarities between Isabela and my Roza, but keep a guardian mask up so that she doesn't see me smile.

"Isabela we do not call anyone a mean bugger bottom. That is not nice." Lissa sounded so serious as she admonished her new daughter; it is hard to believe that she just recently adopted them.

"Sorry Momma Lissa."

She didn't sound very sorry and soon she was chattering again. She prattled on about her friends and how much she likes her teacher, Mrs. Patterson. Her sister Arianna sat quietly listening to her little sister and eating her cut fruit.

We finished with breakfast, Christian and Adrian did a quick clean up with the pans and the dishes. Chris rinsed and Adrian loaded the dishwasher. I have to admit I am impressed at how Roza runs her home. As a Guardian I visited a lot of different families with Ivan. Most royal families had lots of maids and other help. Even families who had far less financial resources lived a more opulent lifestyle then Rose and Adrian did. Everyone was expected to keep their own room tidy, launder their own clothing and help out around the house. For such a large house there was surprisingly little staff. Helen the cook, Jeffrey a groundskeeper, and three times a week a team of three cleaning ladies came to cover the heavier cleaning.

From what Lissa told me, Abe provided Rose with a substantial trust fund upon Graduation from the Academy. Janine gave her access to a back account that contained the unused portion of the child support that Abe had given her over the years; of which Janine only used an eighth for Rose's needs and allowance. If Rose had chosen to, she would have been able to raise Theresa on her own and lived quite well. I am glad to know that Rose married Adrian for love and not out of desperation to provide for my child; I would have been devastated if that were the case. It is bad enough to know that the fact that I was a threat to my own wife and child caused them to move faster than they would have otherwise.

I road to court with Adrian, Christian Arthur and Nicolai; Rose had Lissa, Janine, Theresa the girls and Eddie in her car. The guys took turns choosing the music for the drive; today was Christian's turn. At first I tried to tune it out because it was metal but then I started to listen to the words and the feelings that I music evoked. It felt as though some of the songs called to me, they illustrated some of the feelings and thoughts I have had.

"Christian, who is this group?"

"Linkin Park, this song is called 'What I've done' it's one of my favorites." We listened to the song through once and he hit replay on his Mp3 player. I listened carefully to the words. I put up my guardian mask so that no one could see what was going on in my head.

In this farewell  
there's no blood  
there's no alibi  
cause I've drawn regret  
for the truth  
of a thousand lies

So Let Mercy come(chorus)  
and wash away

What I've Done  
I'll face myself  
to cross what I've become  
erase myself  
and let go of what I've done.

Put to rest  
what you thought of me  
while I've cleaned this slate  
with the hands  
of uncertainty (chorus)

For what I've done  
I start again  
and whatever pain may come  
today this ends  
I'm forgiving what I've done.

What I've Done  
I'll face myself  
to cross what I've become  
erase myself  
and let go of what I've done.  
what I've done  
Forgiving what I've done

Arianna's POV

Auntie Rose looks weird today. Most of the time I like to look at her colors because they are pretty. I like when she has soft colors like pink and yellow. There is always a little bit of purple around her tummy. The colors around her today are all funny; they look dirty and they aren't swirling right. When I looked at her this morning I felt sick. Momma Lissa looks weird too but not as bad as Auntie Rose does. They are talking about some meeting that Auntie Rose and my Uncles Adrian and Dimitri have with the Queen.

I like the Queen. Her colors are nice. I can tell she was not always a good girl. Her colors told me; but she is trying to be good. Momma Lissa said we should always try to be good girls and be nice to other people.

The lady that came to see uncle Dimka yesterday needs a time out. Her colors looked like Isabela's do when she is lying or trying to get her way. Poppa Chris says she is our aunt Tasha. I don't think Uncle Dimka likes her much eather. When they were talking their voices got loud.

It is hard looking at peoples colors. Sometimes it hurts me or makes me feel sick. Momma Lissa and Uncle Adrian say that when I learn to block them I won't get sick anymore and I will be able to look at them only when I want to. They also told me to ask Auntie Rose to take away the shadows when I feel sick because she can take the sick away. I wonder if it will work if she is the one whose colors made me sick.

"Auntie Rose, your colors are making my head and tummy hurt."

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie. I am feeling a little nervous right now. I promise I will try to think about something ells ok? When we get to court I will take the shadows away for you."

"Ok." I closed my eyes and waited but I still feel sick. As soon as she parked the car she went to my door and gave me a hug. Her colors were bright yellow and silver; I like those colors. Her hug made me feel good. It was like the hugs my Mommy used to give me.

"Thank you Auntie Rose, I feel better now." Mamma Lissa and Guardian Castile took us to our teachers.

"Isabela, behave and please listen to Mrs. Patterson." She gave her a kiss then let Mrs. Patterson take her into the room. My teacher is two rooms away. At the door she gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me.

"Have a good day."

She doesn't have to tell me to listen to my teachers because I always do. Izzy has a hard time listening. She wasn't always so bad; Auntie Rose said that she is shadow kissed now and sometimes she might have trouble with listening. I went to my classroom. My teacher Miss Moon let me read a book till it was time to start lessens.

Rose's POV

The guys parked in the assigned parking right next to me. I could tell that Adrian and Dimitri were also nervous about this meeting too. Before I got off the car I sent a mental message to the guys.

(Wait till Lissa gets the girls to class before you get out of the car. Our Auras are getting to Arianna.) I got a nod from the guys. As I jumped out of the car I thought of one of the memories that made me happiest. I thought of the first time that Dimitri ever held his daughter. I felt so much love and pride watching him look at her. With this image in my mind I opened Arianna's door. I gave her a hug and pulled her shadows. I could feel her longing; there was something about my hug that reminded her of her mother. I gave her an extra squeeze. When I let her go she smiled at me and went happily with Lissa and Isabela.

Under our suggestion several of the tutors at court pulled their students together to form a very small elementary school with about five to ten children in each class. Lissa and I wanted the girls to have a social circle that was larger than each other. Sasha's children came to the little school though none of them were in the same classes as Arianna and Izzy belly button. Lissa thanked me through the bond as she left with the girls.

I turned to the guys who were all getting out of their car. Dimitri was distracted by something. He was still surveying the area which is something that we learn to do as guardians. It becomes second nature once you have had your first experience with a Stigoi. His guardian mask was in place but I know him; he was in deep thought about something. Adrian is worried about what the queen will say. We had talked about this for sometime this morning during our dream walk. There is something ells that I can feel from both of them. There is something that they are both holding back from me. I am going to have to ask them about it later and they had better tell me the truth or I am going to hurt them both.

Chris and Nicolai offered to take Theresa to the nursery for us. We each gave her a hug and a kiss before handing her off. We walked in silence to the administrative building. I missed my run this morning so I opted for the stairs while they guys took the elevator. Even in my dress shoes and office attire. I was still faster and got to the queen's floor first. Ok so my office clothing were made for me by Lily with the stipulation that I be able to move freely in case I need to fight, but the dress shoes and being two months pregnant had to count as minor obsticles. It was a small victory but I really needed something to brighten my morning. When the elevator door opened I was standing in front of it with my man eater smile.

"Were you boys afraid you couldn't keep up with me?" Dimitri shook his head mumbled something under his breath.

"Oh I thought you didn't have any problems with how well keep up with you Lil' Dhampir?" Once Adrian said that Dimitri walked out of the elevator and over to the guardian at the reception desk.

"We have an appointment with Her Majesty."

"Yes…um.. right this way please."

I realized that he stammered because he was not sure if he should address Dimitri as Mr. or Guardian Belikov. I threw him a warning look as he ushered us into her sitting room and offered tea. There were three guardians standing along the walls. This was different than the last few times that we met with her. The queen was in her usual seat the one I dubbed her thrown even though it looks like any other chair in the room. The last few times that I have met with her here she has not had Priscilla Voda or any other advisers present but this time Rhonda sat in the next chair. I looked along the back wall at the guardians who were doing the watching without looking thing. It made me mad to realize that they were here because of Dimitri. Tatiana saw that I was looked at them and gave me a small apologetic smile.

"Guardian Hathaway I would appreciate it if you would please inform Guardian Erikson; that I will be perfectly safe without my Guardians."

"With Pleasure." I stood and addressed the lead guardian. "Guardian Erikson I will personally vouch for Her Majesty's safety. I assure you that with me and Guardian Belikov and my husband Adrian; who has been well trained in combat, we will be able to protect her from harm."

"With all due respect for your abilities Lady Ivashkov, I may trust you but I do not the man who used to be Guardian Belikov." Dimitri's head dropped a little but he fixed his mask up so that no one but I could see his pain. This guy was pissing me off. He insults Dimitri by acting like he will go Stigoi again in the blink of an eye. He insults be by using my married title despite the fact that I am at the moment I am called on by the queen as a Guardian.

"I prefer if you refer to me with my professional title. As for Guardian Belikov; I have known this man for a year and a half. I have never known HIM to be anything but honorable. He is in full control of himself. He is known for his self control. I however am known for my lack of impulse control and I am fully hormonal. Considering I took down Strigoi Gregory Speers in the ninth month of my first pregnancy I think I can take you on in my second."

Everyone in the room other than the queen's guardians and Dimitri were snickering. Guardian Erikson glared at me and I could see his subordinates get into a half crouch.

"Guardian Erikson, I suggest you leave before you insult me by attacking my nephew's pregnant wife."

"But you're Highness, He was Strigoi."

"Yes he was, by force not by choice. This man lives in the same home as my nephew and his family. If they trust him than I know I can trust him as well. Farther more I have seen the evidence of his skill by the fact that he trained the woman who saved my life. Now I suggest you leave before I replace you with him."

"Yes you're Highness." With that the men filed out the door to their office.

"I am very sorry for that Guardian Belikov. I trust Rose and since she believes that you pose no danger to me or anyone else I consider you to be perfectly safe."

"Thank you your Highness." His mask still in place; I could see relief in his face and body.

"Please, when we are in an informal setting you may call me Tatiana. I am after all just as much your relation as I am Adrian's." Dimitri raised an eyebrow at this.

"I will try."

"As you know I do have some concerns, regarding you coming back from the fate worse than death. First of all how are you adjusting?"

"I suppose I am doing as well as could be expected."

"Do you feel comfortable living in the House on Cherry Hill? If you prefer I could arrange housing for you here at court."

"I prefer to be with 'friends'."

"It is Ok to acknowledge your child. I know that Theresa is yours. I also might add that she is a beautiful child, you must be proud."

"Very well I would rather stay with my daughter. I am sure you know how fast she is developing and I don't want to miss any more of her life than I already have. I will be nothing less than honest with you that it is sometimes difficult to deal with the memories of my resent past but the family has been a support system that has already proven invaluable."

"Is it not difficult to live in the same house as Rose? It was just before you were turned that you had accepted her as your supruga moego serdtsa was it not? "

"I understand that she is married and in love with Adrian. I Respect the relationship that they have and would do nothing to threaten it."

"It must be difficult to live with the desire and temptation."

She sounds honestly concerned for his feelings and well being; but this line of questioning was getting ridiculous. This is where I lose my temper a bit after all was she serious? First of all Dimitri is the king of self control and furthermore what kind of slut does she think I am. Like I would sleep with my ex boyfriend in the first place; let alone do it in the house I share with my husband.

"Queen Tatiana, I swear that there is nothing inappropriate happening between us. Dimitri knows how I feel about Adrian."

"Rose dear I am not accusing you of being inappropriate. You gave me your word that you would not hurt my nephew. I have not had you watched since the day you protected me. However I have been informed by people who interact with you and your household. My sources have informed me that you have kept your word. I have also learned that everything that happens between Dimitri and yourself is within full knowledge of Adrian." She looked over to Rhonda.

"Are you sure I am the one to tell her?" Rhonda gave a quick nod.

"Rose I am afraid to inform you that your husbands have kept something big from you."

If I was not already sitting I would have sat to keep my head from spinning. In my peripheral vision I could see both men stiffen. Adrian was giving his Aunt a face that said shut up.

"That is the third time in two days that someone has referred to me as Dimitri's wife. Could someone please tell me why?" My voice had gotten progressively higher and louder.

"Um, Rose, sweetie. When you made the decision to try to save him it was like refusing to let go of the marriage the two of you had. When we did save him it was a renewal of the marital bond between you."

"You knew about this! Adrian, how long have you known about this?"

"I didn't find out till mid November. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to stop you from saving him."

"What the fuck kind of answer is that. I thought we had an honest relationship. No hiding shit from each other, remember." I turned to Dimitri. "Ok I get that maybe you didn't know how to tell me but your family has known about my plan since BEFORE I GOT MARRIED TO HIM! Does everyone think that it is ok for me to practice Polyandry? How the hell can the two of you get along so well knowing that the other is married to your wife? Dimitri how come the first time I ever heard about us being married was from your sister, after your memorial? You should have been the one to tell me. You should have told me before we left the cabin, or at least the next morning when you told me your plan for us."

My head began to swim, I felt like I couldn't breathe. My heart was beating so hard that I could feel it in my head. I needed to be sick but when I stood the room spun around me. Time slowed and I began to fall, my body wouldn't respond to me as I tried to right myself or catch my fall. Everything went black.

Dimitri's POV

My guilt was overwhelming as were the feeling s coming from Rose. She feels as if she has been betrayed by those she loves most. Her face paled and as she stood I could see her begin to fall. Without thinking twice I ran to her and caught her as she began to crumple. I laid her down gently on the ground.

"Roza, please open your eyes." I knelt beside her holding her hand and brushing her hair off her face with my other hand. Adrian was beside me, he was talking to someone. I paid no attention to him. My only concern was my Roza. I continued to plead for her to open her eyes.

Sasha rushed in. She pushed both my and Adrian's hands away. She checked Roza's vital signs and shined that horrid light in her eyes. She addressed some men who had come with her.

"Take her to my clinic and put her in one of the rooms. If she wakes up tell her to try to rest." They moved forward to lift her onto a gurney but I lifted her for them; placing her gently down. Adrian and I both began to follow but Sasha stopped us.

"Whatever happened in here made her pass out. I would assume she doesn't want to see any of you till she has processed it. Does anyone want to tell me what you did to her?" She automatically looked to the Queen.

"This time it is not so much me she is angry at. These two have been keeping a devastating secret from her and I am the one who let the cat out of the bag."

"Ok what have you been keeping from her?" For such a gentle woman I was shocked by the glare she shot to both of us.

"She is still married to me." She gave me a confused look.

"Have you heard of the term. 'The Spouse of My Heart'?" She nodded.

"That is the Dhampir version of a common law marriage, right?"

"Cousin that is only the loosely used meaning, but there is another meaning that is so much deeper." Adrian spoke quietly. I could feel how difficult it was for him to openly acknowledge the strength of my tie to Rose. I continued the explanation.

"It is the name of a magical bond between mates. It is something that doesn't happen very often. The closest description I could give you is the strength of a spirit bond. The only thing that can sever it is death. By giving me back my soul Rose has reestablished this bond between us."

"Why on God's green earth would you men keep this from her?"

"They kept their silence because they were told to. Rosemarie is on a path that will change our world. Her fate is intertwined with both of theirs."

"Rhonda what are you trying to say?"

"I only have part of the story and I am sure that Dimitri's grandmother has part of it as well. Rosemarie is special; everything that has happened to her has been taking her down the path to becoming something that we have not seen since long before St Vladimir became the last known spirit user. There is a reason that she fell in love first with Dimitri and then with his brother. The children she has with them will help her save us from extinction."

"So you men lied to the most important person in your lives; because two old witches told you too? How could you not tell her the truth?"

"Cousin, I love Rose with everything that I am. She is becoming something more than just a guardian. She is more amazing than a shadow kissed Guardian. She wields magic now; when she does her Aura burns bright with the most amazing silver you could ever imagine. I know in my heart and in every fiber of my being that she is supposed to do monumental things. I can't begin to imagine what part our children will have to do with it but I understand why Yeva would keep her from knowing before she married me. If she knew that she would still be married to Dimitri than she would have never married me. Later when I learned about it I already knew about her being a Wielder of Life and Death; I don't know what she would have done but I didn't want to risk having her not change Dimitri. We are going to need him to fulfill his part."

"May I ask you Cousin, what if she was to decide that since she is married to both of you that she wanted to enjoy the benefits of being married to both of you; would you be able to handle that?" I could feel the deep sadness from Adrian that pops up in his emotions from time to time.

"I would assume that it would hurt me just as much as I am sure it hurts my brother that I am able to have this intimacy with her. However it would be within their right."

"Sasha that would never happen; first of all I am sure of Rose's integrity. She would never intentionally do anything that would hurt Adrian. Second of all I would never pursue her. I can content myself with being close to Rose and Theresa. The third reason is that he is my brother. I would never harm him because I love him." I turned to look Adrian in the eyes.

"Lastly I am Spirit bound to you. Any pain you feel I feel too. I know the depth of your love and devotion to her. I am pledging myself right now to be your Guardian and protector. If I have to give my life so that you may be by her side forever; I will." Everyone in the room was silent for several minutes. Sasha stood up.

"I am going to go see my patient. I suggest that they two of you give her some space for a few hours." She left the room. Rhonda followed her out.

"Dimitri I have to speak with you about a request that was submitted to me personally regarding you."

"Oh?" I groaned internally. I was hoping she wouldn't do this.

"Tasha Ozera paid me a visit yesterday. She seems to feel that it would be in the best interests of everyone if you left The House on Cherry Hill and take up a residency here at court. You could be close enough to spend as much time with Theresa as you'd like and you could begin Guardianship again; protecting her." Adrian had up till now been sitting quietly. He was still processing the fact that he and I were spirit bound. Rose must have told him about getting pulled into Lissa's head during intimate moments with Christian. I could feel his embarrassment through the bond.

His head popped up when he heard mention of me leaving to live at court. His feelings shifted to one of desperation. I tried to hone in on his thoughts but what I got was unclear. He believed that it was imperative to Rose's journey that I stay with them. He was certain that Rose was going to need me.

"We need him. You heard him say that he was going to be my guardian. Our family needs him."

"As enticing as the plan sounds I have already told Tasha that I do not wish to leave. I have told her over and over again that I do not want to be her Guadrian. As strange and warped as it may seem Rose Adrian his child and mine are a family. I need to be with my family"

Adrian's phone went off; it was Lissa's Ring tone. He motioned to the phone and the door. Tatiana waved him off and he stepped out of the room to answer it.

"Tasha told me that you wear a wedding ring. I have to admit that I was curious so I asked around. The jewelers here told me that Adrian had this made for his brother. I have been told that it's made of white gold with a pure silver core."

"They had it charmed with elemental magic plus spirit from two spirit wielders and the love from a wielder of life and death. It helped me stay in control of my body till they could save me. He really is such a sweet man." I lowered my voice a little before I continued.

"Yeva said that he reminds her of Nathanial Cervantes; he too had been a very loving man of great character. I am told that my 'grandmother' knew him well." She looked at me with surprise.

"Yes she did. He was a good man and losing him had changed her. I am afraid she was never the same after he was taken and turned. She became a bitter and conniving woman." There was a deep sadness in her eyes.

"Is that why she asked her sister to raise the son that they had together?" She nodded.

"She had lost her first husband to a simple accident over a year before; and she was about to take a very important job and she was afraid that people would judge her badly if she had an illegitimate child who's father had been turned. She was also afraid of how others might treat her son. Mostly she was just too sad to give him the love he deserved. Unfortunately she still had a negative effect on him. She taught him to be prejudges and cruel."

"Well her son may not have turned out well but I hope she is proud of her grandsons." She smiled at me.

"She is very proud of her grandsons, and it is a relief to admit it; at least to one of them. Perhaps you could let her decide when she will tell the other?"

"Of course." I stood and touched her hand with mine.

"Yeva told me to tell my Grandmother that her friendship is greatly missed."

* * *

**1. I see Moroi society as patriarchal despite the fact that they are currently ruled by a queen, whereas Dhampirs seem more Matriarchal. Do you think that The household that Rose and Adrian have is more patriarchal or matriarchal?**

**2. What do you think of the way Arianna describes Aura's? **

**3. Did Tatiana do the right thing by telling Rose that she was still married to Dimitri? **

**4. Do you think she is mad at Rose for it or do you think that she already knew about the journey that Rose is going through? **

**5. Does she feel bad that Rose has been kept in the dark?**

**6. What Grandmother is Dimitri Refering to?**

PS Nathan Ivashkov is Adrian and Dimitri's father. Nathanial Cervantes is someone that Tatiana and Yeva knew before Nathan's birth. Also just so you know Once apon a time Yeva was Tatiana's Guardian and friend but tatiana got mad when Yeva decieded to quit and have a family. Yeva tried to make peace with Tatiana years later and that is when Nathan Ivashkov and Olena first met. Ok so I just gave a hint to number 6 but I figured I would clarify things for you a bit.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.  
Suzanna


	33. The Pieces Fall into Place

Ok here is my next Chapter. There are two flashbacks in here one of which has been expanded on. I could not give you the whole conversation in it's entirety before because it would have given away part of Rose's plan to stall Dimitri at the thanksgiving day attack. I almost gave you a flash back of the conversation between Rhonda and Adrian but that would be giving too much away but I will give it to you soon I promise.

I know that I have been taking 3 and 4 days to post and I am sorry but it takes a while for me to write and edit till I am happy enough to post it. Even then I am not always fully pleased with my work. I really want to give you the best that I can offer. I have tried to make these chapters longer than the earlier ones. this one is a full 12 pages on my computer.

The disclamer stands. I do not own VA but that which is of my own cration and disign I offer to you.

Suzanna

* * *

**Chapter 33 The Pieces Fall into Place.**

Rose's POV

When I opened my eyes confusion hit me. The lights were low but I could tell I was in a hospital bed, but where? Was I back at St. Vademir's Academy? Memories came rushing back to me. I touched my belly for reassurance. My tiny bump told me that my memories had not lied to me. Everyone else in my life however has. I wish I knew why everyone thought it was so important to hide it from me.

I guess I should have known that there was more to my feelings for Dimitri than a normal attraction. Now that I think about it there is a magic to the way that Dimitri and I are bound. From the first time I saw him there was a spark. With every passing day I felt closer to him than anyone else; at some point I even felt closer to him than Lissa. Every time we touched there was an energy that passed through one to the other and back. When he was taken I felt as if part of me had died. Even my love for Adrian hadn't made me feel complete. When I realized that I knew how to save him; that part of me came back to life. I have to be honest with myself; I do still love Dimitri as much as I always have. More actually, we have a child together and she was made not just from sex but love.

Just before I had fainted I had realized that I had become his wife the night in the cabin. It was when he opened himself up to me; when he let me know the depth of his feelings for me and he accepted my love in return that we became man and wife.

I love Adrian; I am sure of my love for him with every fiber of my being. The love I feel for him is just as strong as what I feel for Dimitri. There is no magic in my love for Adrian but there is a bond that was created from the love and friendship he has always given me. Up till now he has always been completely honest with me. Why is he keeping things from me now?

How many people at home have known about this? How am I supposed to trust anyone anymore? I need to run; I have to blow off some of this steam before I face them again. I pulled off the covers and found my clothing. I hate it when I wake up in a hospital or a clinic. They always take my cloths and dress me in one of those ridiculous gowns. I opened the door to leave but there was a guardian on the other side of the door.

"Lady Ivashkov you are supposed to get some rest. I'll let Dr. Isham know that you are awake."

"Like hell I will rest, I need to burn off steam or I am going to explode." He barred my exit. I tried to get by him again but again he barred my exit. My temper rose and I gave him a punch in the face making contact with his cheek. He stumbled but righted himself in time to bar me from passing. I kicked his gut with all the power I could muster. I said "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!" He stumbled back and this time I was able to leap over and run passed him. I made it to the waiting room of the clinic and through the door. My mind barely registered that my family was all sitting there.

I pushed my legs to get me as far away as possible. Right now I wanted nothing to do with any of my family. In the distance I could hear them calling me but I had run too far too fast for them to see where I had gone. With a final push I made it passed the wards and into the woods that surrounded the Court compound. I dropped to my knees and emptied my stomach. I crawled to a nearby tree and leaned against it; my feelings poured out of me. As I cried I tried to think this through. I know my family loves me so why would they keep this from me?

I thought back to the night before I married Adrian.

**1****st**** Flashback:**

I was staying the night in the Belikov suite. I could not sleep so I crept out of bed and went out on the balcony. It was a warm clear day, about noon human time. Out here I was able to think. I knew that marrying Adrian was right. I was having trouble with the question that Viktoria had asked. What was going to happen if I do save Dimitri; I love him but it just wasn't like what I felt for Adrian. Will he be able to move on in his life since I will be married? I was only out there a moment before Yeva came out.

"You should be sleeping. A bride should not be tired for her Honeymoon."

"I am just worried. I know that I am doing the right thing for me and Adrian. For now it is the right thing to do to protect my baby. In the long run, I do believe I will find a way to save Dimitri. Will my decision now hurt him?"

"Granddaughter, listen to me. When I told you to fulfill your mission, though you did not release him you did succeed in what you were supposed to do. If you had not seen for yourself what he is now; you could not have let him go. You were meant to marry Adrian, just as you were meant to have Dimitri's child. Your fate has been intertwined with theirs since before even my great, great Grandmother was born. In time you and your children will be very important to our world."

**End Flashback**

What had she meant when she said that my life was intertwined with theirs? Was she telling me then that I was going to be married to both of them? Why would she want that for her grandson? I thought back to the conversation I had with Olena and Yeva before they came for Thanksgiving.

**2**** nd**** Flashback:**

"Hi Olena how is the family?"

"We are all good. How are you and yours? We have been worried about you."

"Everyone here is doing well. Just getting geared up for the Holidays, we have Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. You should see me I am as big as a house!"

"That Last month is the hardest sometimes. I wanted to let you know that we will be coming earlier than planned." Shit how do I tell her no?

"Ah Olena, that is not a good Idea. The first of December would be best."

"Yeva said you need us now. Rose what is going on that you don't want to tell Me.?"

"Everything is fine it's just that we have such a full house right now. Christian and Abe have come and Abe has so many guardians with him." God I hope she buys this.

"Rose, I know you're holding something back. Don't lie to me."

"Do you know how much you sound like him right now? He always knew when I was not being fully truthful with him." I sniffed and wiped away the tear that ran down my cheek.

"Where did you think he learned it? We will be there on November 17th. I need to know what is going on."

I knew that I could not hold things back from her. I didn't want his family here. What if my plan doesn't work? Yeva knows that something is up and I know that their coming anyway. Maybe if they know what's going on they can help.

"Olena Dimitri is planning an attack on me Thanksgiving. Don't ask how I know just trust me He has been planning this for over a month now. When you come I need you to stay at court. I don't know how to save him yet but I think I know how to stall him. Remember the ring that Oksona gave me before I left Baia?"

"Yes Mark wears one all the time."

"When I was held captive Dimitri held my ring to look at it and while he did he almost acted like himself. I have the necklace that was used to hold the Lust Charm on us; I was thinking that I could have it Charmed for healing. If he sees me wearing it with Adrian he might take it from me and be charmed by it."

"The healing rings don't hold their charm for more than a few weeks when warn all the time. Even when not warn all the time the magic fades because it only has the charm of one Moroi."

"I've been thinking about that too. A stake holds its charms for years because it takes magic from all four elements. What if I got it charmed for healing by all four elements plus spirit and the magic I have. It would become a very powerful object don't you think."

"A necklace can be taken off Granddaughter." Yeva must have been listening on the extension.

"I know Yeva but it is the only idea I have right now."

"The night that Dimitri was born I dreamed about a special stake."

"I am not going to stake him; that is the last thing I want to do Yeva."

"Be patient Roza and let me explain." The use of Dimitri's special name for me stopped me cold.

"When I woke from that dream I knew that I had to have it made. I drew my design and had an old friend of mine make it for me before Dimitri was even a year old. You won't stake him in the heart. It is a special stake that injects beads of Silver. Put it somewhere that you could inject a bead. The stake and beads can be charmed along with the Charms you and Adrian have."

"Adrian doesn't have anything to charm."

"He will. No matter what it is you must allow him to give this to his brother."

"Ok Thank you and I will see you in a few days. Goodbye Olena, Yeva."

I day after they had arrived Yeva and Adrian went out to lunch together; Adrian was a bit distracted after words but I thought nothing of it because Yeva can have that effect on people. Several days later when I gathered all my Moroi family together to charm the objects I was shocked to see that Adrian had a replica of his wedding ring made for Dimitri. First Adrian took each object into his hands. I could almost feel that energy he emitted when wielding healing spirit into them. Once he was done with an object it would be passed to Lissa for more Spirit, Mia for water, Abe for Earth, Chris for Fire, and Sasha for Air, before I finally took them and channeled all the love I have ever had for Dimitri as well as the love I have for his child into each object. Eddie asked if he could take them to church and have them blessed. I allowed him to have them blessed and then he himself said a prayer for Dimitri over them.

**End Flashback**

It must have been then that Yeva told Adrian that I would be renewing my bond to Dimitri. That is why he gave him the wedding ring. When he gave the ring to Dimitri he had told him that "This ring was made for the man she should have been able to marry." He defiantly knew about this before I ever had my confrontation with Dimitri. Why didn't they tell me then? Would I have made a different decision; could I have killed Dimitri instead of saving him?

I searched my heart for the answer. I couldn't imagine Dimitri not being on this earth. After the first attempt to kill him I felt so empty. The only thing I had to live for was Lissa; saving her from Avery then protecting her for the rest of my life. When I realized that he was still alive I had a seed of hope. There was a chance to save him and I wanted to find it; even if I didn't think that there was a real chance for us to be together. After the things that had happened; I still loved him but I wasn't sure that I could feel the same passion for him anymore. Adrian knew that my love for Dimitri had not died, and he loved me as I was. Once he had told me that he loved every part of me even Dimitri's baby and the part of me that still loved Dimitri. Was Adrian trying to spare me the guilt of bringing my first husband back into my life; is that why he didn't tell me?

I thought again about Yeva and the things that she has said to me. She has told me several times that my fate has been intertwined with both Dimitri and Adrian's since before even her Great, Great Grandmother was even born. She had said that our children and I were supposed to become very important to our world. I am supposed to have many children close in age. She told me this before my wedding and again after Theresa was born. I have to admit that there have been a lot of things that have changed with me. Being the first known wielder of life and death in over 400 years is a big one.

Maybe there is a special purpose for me in this life. I looked up at the stars in the sky. There was a full moon but it was hidden by all the trees. I did something I haven't done in a very long time.

"God, I know that you are there. I don't know what your plans are for me and I will do what you want me to do. Please I am begging you to help me choose the right path, and give me the strength to follow it." From the corner of my eye I saw the pearly simmer of a spirit.

"Rose you shouldn't be here. You are beyond the wards and it is not safe for you to be here." I didn't even have to look to know that Sonya Carp was standing beside me.

"I needed to think."

"They have been waiting for you; you have to get back to the wards now." I stood and began running for the wards. As I ran I reached for my stake but it wasn't there. Shit! I was not 200yrd from the wards when I felt the nausea and prickling on my skin.

Dimitri POV

Rose had run so fast out the clinic and she had the guardian that he had posted outside her door was on her tail. Several of us jumped up and tried to reach her but we just ended up bottle necking at the door. By the time we got out she was nowhere in sight.

After the first half hour of searching Tatiana had insisted that we make this an organized search. Adrian and I searched together the others branched out with several guardians. Evan Tatiana and her guard searched around court. I could hear them reporting to each other. Rhonda must have told her what I already knew. The Strigoi know that Rose is dangerous to them. She has been made a target and if she is beyond the wards she is in grave danger.

"Adrian we are getting close I can feel her now." I began running to a wooded corner of the compound. That is when we saw her. She was being circled by three Stigoi; her hands were empty.

"Where the hell is her stake!"

She lunged at one and knocked him down but he got up and went for her. She managed to avoid most of their hits but and get a few in at them too; but she looked exhausted. Adrian and I ran for her with our stakes out. I can run much faster than him so I was in the lead but the moment I went beyond the wards two things happened. First I was overcome with the feeling of nausea and a strange prickly sensation covered my skin. The power of the feeling made my step stumble. Then within a moment I was attacked by ghosts. I tried to bat them away but they kept coming at me. Every once in a while I could see Rose. She was using the ghosts to distract the Strigoi. One ghost that had been fighting with her saw me and in an instant she was standing next to me.

She moved her mouth but I couldn't hear anything. She motioned at me then at rose. It looked like she was trying to redirect the ghosts back to Rose. Only about half of the ghosts left me but it was enough to let me push forward. Adrian caught up to me and held me back. I looked at him with utter disbelief. But he simply pointed at Rose.

She rushed at the largest attacker with her hands out. She put her hands on his chest and he cried out in pain. This momentarily stopped the other two as they watched in shock. The large Strigoi arched his back and then fell to the ground. The other two came at rose with renewed vigor. I tried to pull from Adrian but with and amazing amount of strength for a Moroi; he held me back.

"She is wielding Death; I don't think it is safe for us to even stand next to her. The power of it surrounds her like a bubble. This is a new power for her and she doesn't know how to control it. If she killed one of us it would destroy her." Adrian's fear for her safety mingled with mine. My perspective shifted slightly. I could no longer see the ghosts but when I looked at Rose and I could see a sphere of Dark Silver her hands were glowing Dark Red.

Both Strigoi rushed her at the same time. She placed a hand on both and they cried out as did she. The sphere glowed brightly. A moment later they collapsed in a heap. The sphere around her went dark. My Roza lay lifeless on the ground. Adrian now pulled on me at first I could not move, I had to pull myself out of Adrian's mind and once I did; we ran to her.

I could hear her heart beating; it was irregular and getting weaker and her breaths where shallow. Adrian placed his hands over her heart and I felt the most beautiful emotions through the bond. A voice called through the ear piece.

"Belikov where are you? Have you found her yet?" For my Roza I had to set my feelings aside and put myself in Guardian mode. I pulled up my mask and touched the button on my ear piece.

"Belikov here, we are at the north east end of the compound just beyond the wards. We found Lady Ivashkov and she has been injured in a fight with Strigoi." It was all I could say. I pulled my guard down and held my wife's left hand as her other husband held her right.

"Roza I love you and need you. I am sorry that I kept our marriage a secret I thought I was protecting you but I see now that I was wrong. Please forgive me."

"I am so sorry my little Dhampir; I don't understand the journey that you are on but I know that you are going to need Dimitri by your side. I couldn't risk the chance that you would decide not to return his soul to spare my feelings. After... well I didn't know how to tell you. Please forgive me."

Rose's POV

They were too close to me. I ran faster but still they were about to overtake me. I turned to face them knowing that it was a useless attempt without a weapon but I might at least buy myself a few minutes of life. In my mind I prepared to say goodbye to my family my children and my husbands. They circled me and came at me time and time again. I dodged and blocked most of their hits and kicks. I used every move that Dimitri had ever shown me. I was beginning to tire and I knew it wouldn't be long now. I would continue fighting till the very end. I called the ghosts for help. This gave me a small edge but still the Strigoi were determined to kill me.

Somewhere in my heart I felt Dimitri, I couldn't look for him but I knew he was coming. My hopes for rescue ended when Sonya left my side and I heard her tell the ghosts to leave Dimitri alone. He was being attacked and I couldn't call the ghosts away from him without calling all of them off including the ones helping me right now. The thought of ether of them watching me die excruciating. I couldn't do that to ether of them.

Then it occurred to me that part of love is protection. I thought of everyone I wanted to protect. I felt the power of it fill me; it was frightening. It teetered on the edge between love and hate. It took all my focus to stay on the side of love. Not knowing how to do it lunged at the largest of the Strigoi. I put my hands over his heart and immediately he cried out in pain. The demon that had inhabited him was forced out; his soul was now free to leave and it did. The other two Stigoi saw their companion fall and they came at me again with more determination. I was already weak but I begged God to give me the strength to finish this. The two attackers came at me from both sides and I reached out to them making contact with both at the same time. I pulled the power of protection and love once again and with all the energy I had left I channeled it to them. I felt myself fall with them. I could feel my life slowly slip away from me.

"I am sorry God. I was not strong enough to do what you asked me to do." My heart was just about to beat its last when I felt them. Lissa, she must have felt me dying. Her spirit magic pulled at me as my soul began to leave my body. I saw Dimitri and Adrian kneeling beside me. Adrian put his hands over my heart and the incredible love I felt with his spirit magic joined Lissa's. Dimitri held my hand and I felt the sweetness of his touch, it was the energy that always has flowed between us when we touched. I had no energy left in me to reciprocate. I heard Dimitri and Adrian apologize to me for keeping their secret from me. Before the oblivion came over me I forgave them.

~~*~8~*~~

I found myself standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was foggy and cool in the pre dawn light. The landscape around me was a brilliant emerald green. A soft voice with a thick Irish accent spoke to me.

"Hello Rosemarie. I am very glad to finally meet you."

I turned to see a beautiful woman. She had porcelain skin, the color of cream and her cheeks were a soft pink. Soft waives of reddish brown hair cascaded down past her waist. I had never seen eyes of such a deep green. A warm smile played on her delicate pink lips. She reached out to me and I took her hand.

"My name is Bridget Donnelly, and you are my Great, Great Granddaughter many times over. I was the last to be called the wielder of Life and Death."

"Have I died?" I touched my belly and sadness filled me, a tear fell down my cheek. "If I died then Adrian's child has died too."

"Your child and you are still very much alive. I have to say though that you very nearly did die. Wielding Death takes so much more energy than Wielding life. You are not supposed to Wield death till you have brought forth at least the four elements, and it would be best if you waited till you have brought forth a spirit wielder as well as one who will wield as you. Wielding Death works best with the combined efforts. You must train them and allow them to grow in love for their fellow man."

"I don't understand are you speaking about my children or of my friends?"

"I can see that you have yet to be given instruction. But that will come in time be patient with the ones you love; for they will be the ones to guide you. Sometimes the secrets that they keep are not for you to know. There will be times that they will be given knowledge to help them guide you. I have seen your heart and I know that you have felt betrayed; know that all was done because they were trying to help you along your journey. It was time for one truth to be revealed to you and now you must learn to live with the knowledge. You are indeed lucky to have found the love of two lifetimes in one".

"We have waited for the pieces to fall into place and now they have. You stand before me now and I am proud of you. I am sorry that so much has happened to you, you have gone through so much heartache in your life and even still I cannot tell you that your suffering will be over. Love has gotten you through your past and it will be love that gets you through your future." She closed her eyes and looked skyward. She placed her hands on my shoulders.

May the blessing of light be on you—  
light without and light within.  
May the blessed sunlight shine on you  
and warm your heart  
till it glows like a great peat fire.

She opened her eyes and smiled at me. She kissed me on my cheek. It is time for you to go back to your family child.

~~*~~8~~*~~

As my eyes opened I felt the warmth of two bodies beside me. I could see the light from the sun through the sides of the shades. I turned to my left and Adrian was curled against me with his arm around me. To my right Dimitri was curled against me in a similar position. Both men were lying on top of the quilt; each was covered with a throw blanket. Ok this was too weird even for the warped way that things turned out and I can honestly say that it WILL NOT be a regular occurrence but for now I settled back down and enjoyed the moment.

I woke up again and they were sitting on the bed on either side of me. I sat up and pushed Dimitri off the bed.

"Move it Pregnant woman has to pee." I ran to the bathroom with peals of laughter behind me. It took forever for me to finish but when I came out they were both still waiting for me. I looked at them both and laughed. They both had the same look of relief and love on their faces. "I never realized how much you do look like brothers." I took a deep breath before I continued with what I wanted to say.

"I know that you both had reasons for keeping this from me. I also realize that this was your secret to tell and that is why everyone else kept quiet about it. Once all was said and done it was time to tell me and since you didn't Tatiana was given the task of letting me know the truth. I am still a little hurt but I understand and I forgive you."

Dimitri gave Adrian a very serious stare. Adrian looked upset and he was he was quiet for a moment. Dimitri gave him a stern look and nodded at him. I realized that they were communicating like Liss and I. Something must have gone wrong when we brought him back; he is bonded to Adrian. I wonder what they're discussing. I took a seat in the chair. Dimitri spoke softly to him.

"She deserves to know." Adrian nodded but looked down. "Should I?" Adrian nodded again and Dimitri squared his shoulders and looked at me with sadness and concern.

"Adrian was told that…." I interrupted Dimitri right there.

"Dimitri if this is regarding this journey that I am supposed to be on; maybe it is better that I not know until he is ready to tell me. If I know what is ahead and I am not happy about it I might try to avoid it; doing so might change the way that things are supposed to turn out."

I went to kneel in front of Adrian. "Whatever you are holding in your heart please know that I won't be mad at you for keeping it to yourself. I love you and I always will." He reached for me and kissed me so sweetly and we embraced. He held on to me as if he were a drowning man and I his floatation device.

"I love you too Rose with all of my heart, forever."

All too soon my stomach rumbled and the moment of tenderness was ended.

"Lunch time for the Lil' Dhampir." Adrian, Dimitri and I went downstairs together to join the rest of the family. Theresa was the first one I wanted to see.

Dimitri's POV

I was amazed at Rose's recovery. She had been at the brink of death when Lissa and Adrian began to try to heal her with spirit. Rose had only been unconscious for two days. They were both left very weak for several days.

She figured out that am bonded to Adrian, and she has been helping us learn how to crate and use mental blocks. She warned him that it is best not to try to hide anything from me because I will always end up finding out just like she did with Lissa. Rose also said that learning to control the ability to get into Lissa's head at will had helped her learn how to keep from getting sucked in. We practice every day. I have to say that I understand why Lissa was so annoyed by Rose's ability to do this. It feels so intrusive. I have only been able to do it at will a few times.

There has been a few times already that I have been sucked into his head. The first was when Rose was being attacked by the Strigoi. I could see her Aura as she wielded spirit. I also had not been able to see the ghosts anymore because Adrian does not possess that ability. The second time was when He was dreaming about a reading that he had with Rhonda. I now know why he feels that he will be leaving her. I hope that I will be able to keep that from happening. I know his heart and parting from her is the last thing he would ever want to do.

I hope we learn how to block each other soon because it has been almost two weeks since Rose and Adrian have made love. I can feel how much he misses being with her. From the feelings of longing and frustration I feel from Rose I know she misses him in that way too. I understand why they are afraid to get intimate. They are trying to be courteous to me; I appreciate it but I also hate to feel them suffer because of me.

Adrian, Rose and I are in the in the garden working on blocking. I felt Adrian put up his block and I tried to force my way into his head. It took a great amount of focus and mental effort before I made it in.

"I got in and this time it was hard to push my way in." Rose smiled at Adrian.

"Good job honey." She kissed him on the lips. "Ok now Dimitri I am take him around the house and try to distract him; only a little. I will have him put up a block and I want you to do the same thing. In a few minutes we will come back and see if you get sucked in or not."

They walked away and I could feel Adrian's anticipation over how she might distract him. A minute later he put up a mental wall; I did the same. Once my wall was in place I let my mind wonder to other things. I could still feel the hum of their emotions but it was not overwhelming. I was busy looking how the moonlight reflected off of a rose when they returned. Their lips were swollen from kissing. I gave them both a smile.

"Success I didn't see a thing!" Adrian smiled bigger than I think he intended to. Rose hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Izzy came running out to us.

"Miss Helen said it is time for dinner." She reached up to Rose who lifted her up and carried her in. Rose is so close to Izzy. How interesting that a girl who had been raised by an institution and had no experience with children; would be such a good mother to our giggle girl and a sweet aunt to Arianna and Isabela.

My family was leaving for Russia tomorrow and tonight Momma, Yeva and Helen prepared us a feast. After dinner we all sat in the living room telling stories about ourselves and each other. Abe told us how he and Janine had met. Janine told us what rose was like as a small child; before she had to go to school. On and on it went. The story that intrigued me the most was one that Adrian told about Rose which she had to explain.

"So Rose had been in therapy and I have no idea what her crazy counselor told her to do but she asked me to use compulsion on her. 'Adrian I want you to use compulsion on me to make me want to kiss you. But don't kiss me.' I asked her why she would want me to do that and she said it was part of her therapy. So I leaned close to her 'Rose I want you to want me to kiss you. Do you want me to kiss you?' She said yes and then I stopped. Hey rose you never did explain that one?"

She had been giving him a hard stare through is whole telling. When she looked around to all our curious faces she smacked his arm. With a big sigh she began her explanation.

"Well I had told my counselor that I was in love with a man that was older than me and that I couldn't date him because it would be a conflict of our Guardian duties and the age difference. She suggested that my interest in him was because in the back of my mind I felt that I should never date anyone because I wanted to dedicate my life to protecting Lissa. I wanted to test her theory so I asked you to make me want to kiss you. You did make me want to kiss you physically but my heart wasn't in it; there was no longing in my heart to kiss you. Sorry babe but I didn't feel that way for you at the time."

"Well not then but the bump on your belly says something different now."

We all had to laugh at his joke. After that our evening wound down and we parted ways for bed. I joined Rose and Adrian to check on Theresa. She was sleeping most of the night through now. Her nursing schedule has stretched to every six hours and she is eating more smashed vegetables. She now wears clothing for 8 month olds even though she is only 4 months. We tucked her in and watched her sleep for a few minutes. We said our good nights and went our separate ways.

After my shower I heard a knock at my door. I opened it and found Roza on the other side.

"I was about to go to bed when I realized that you have not had blood in a couple of days."

I let her in to my room and closed the door. It was a slim chance that anyone other than Adrian would come by but my feedings were something I preferred to keep private. It didn't bother me so much if he was present but I could not bring myself to let anyone else see. She led me to the chair and I sat down then she sat in my lap. Since the first time I fed from her as a non Strigoi; she seems to like this position. I have to admit that I do too.

"I spoke to Adrian about this and we both feel that it is right that I share this with you."

I didn't understand what she meant but soon I was too distracted to ponder it farther. She touched my face tenderly tracing her finger over my lips before she leaned her head to the side. I pressed my lips to her neck and inhaled her sent. I parted my lips and let my fangs gently sink into her flesh till they found her jugular. The feeling of her love that I had begun to feel from her when I first opened the door to her; intensified the moment her blood flowed onto my mouth. There was the love she had for me as a friend but this time I also felt the love she had for me when we were mentor and student, and the love she had for me the night she became my wife. The love she feels for me as the father of her child. I accepted the love she gave me and in return I gave her all the love I have for her; she is my best friend, she has always been my only lover, the mother of my child and the only woman in my heart for the rest of my life.

In the few minutes that she fed me we she was showing me that she accepted me as her husband of her heart. I realized that she had found her own special way to make love to me without violating the vows that she made to Adrian. After feeding I held her close to me for several minutes. We said nothing because nothing needed to be said. She kissed my forehead before standing to leave.

"Thank you My Roza. I love you."

"I love you to Comrade. Good night."

I lay in bed pondering what had transpired between us. In a very real sense we made love but not on a physical level. There was nothing dirty or kinky about what we did. When I had kept her hostage in Russia; feeding from her had been about pleasure, manipulation and my overpowering her. With this act the pleasure had been emotional and mutual. There were no ulterior motives or abuse of power. She cannot get high from my bite since she gave birth to a mostly Moroi child.

I felt satisfied in her love for me. It is a strange marriage but it is mine and I am happy to be part of her life. Later that night I felt Adrian pull up his mental wall and block me. I pulled up my walls as well; I could feel immense love and joy through my bonds with Rose and Adrian but nothing more. I was happy for them that they could enjoy each other again. Feeling no jealousy I smiled and drifted off to sleep.

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Ok I wont as as many questions as I usually do.

1. what do you think? Is my story still going good or is it getting rediculas?

2. Do does it ring true to you that by sharing her love with Dimitri she is in her own way making love with him or does it make her sound like a blood whore?

I would really apreciate your feedback so please Review.

Suzanna.


	34. A Garden Wedding

**Sorry but this is coing to be a bit short. I have been having a medical issue lately and I have not been able to write as much. Also my story is at a point that I need to jump through time a bit. Please be patient with me, I won't jump too much if I can help it. This chapter is mostly about the smaller things that happen between the bigger things to come.**

**I do not own VA but that which is mine I happily share with you.**

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Ch 34 Garden Wedding

Eddie POV

4 months later

"Nice Bachelor party Edison." Abraham patted me on the back. I was not sure if he was just being nice or if he really meant it. It's a little lame I guess but I didn't want to spend the night before I get married in some strip club ogling a bunch of women I had no interest in. The only woman I am interested is Mia. I thought it would be fun spending the day hanging with the guys. We barbequed some steaks and played football out on the lawn. Dimitri and Ivan were nice enough to play on the Moroi team; Dhampirs still won but not by much.

After our game we played some poker. Adrian played bar tender and mixed us all kinds of crazy drinks. He may not drink any more but he can sure mix them. After a while the poker game wore down probably because Dimitri kept winning. Damn that man has a poker face. I bet Rose could read him though. I guess the fact that Dimitri stayed sober so he could be on watch might have had something to do with it; Arthur stayed sober too but he sucks at poker.

We ordered pizza's and settled in for a movie. Chris chose the movie; he had a smirk on his face that had me worried. I thought he had snuck in a porno or something. The movie started and we began laughing. He had put in The Princess Bride.

"Hey Ozera does Princess Lissa know she is engaged to a girl?" Adrian gave him a look that only Royal Moroi seems to be able to pull off.

"Can it Arthur. You know this is my favorite movie." All the guys in the room began to laugh.

"So does Rose know you're a girl too?" More peals of laughter.

"Hey at least Chris and I embrace our feminine side. Maybe if you embraced yours you might get to embrace something feminine too."

"I agree with Adrian. Besides it has been years since I have seen this movie so if you gentlemen would please quiet down." Dimitri had his badass don't F*** with me Guardian mask up.

There were some grumbles about Belikov being whipped like Adrian and Chris but the guys quieted down. Honestly I like this movie too. It's got everything a love story, cheesy humor, Intrigue, some cool swordfights and R.O.U.S.'s Rats Of Unusual Size. I think a lot of guys secretly like this movie. Funny how almost all the guys in the room got into it; Arthur had been the only exception.

After the princess bride Adrian put on Eagle Eye. It was a standard guy movie with lots of action. By mid movie most of the guys were passed out. I lost interest in the movie and looked up to see Adrian and Dimitri talking quietly in the corner. It looked like they were having a serious conversation. Dimitri looked upset and Adrian looked almost pleading. Dimitri nodded his head and looked away. I figured that whatever the conversation I could tell that it was over; leaving both men feeling awkward. I stood up and stretched before joining them.

"Hey guys do you have any last minute advice?" They looked at each other and scoffed.

"You are asking us?" Adrian gave me a sidewise look.

"We don't have a conventional marriage." Dimitri shook his head.

"I know but you both make her very happy. If she was not happy don't you think she would have dumped one or both of you?"

"That is true. Roza will always stand up for herself, and not let anyone give her grief."

"I have seen you guys train. She takes a lot of grief from you."

"Yes but that is different. Since I am nearly as strong and quick as a Stigoi I want her to learn to fight and think faster. She is improving. We have been working on teaching her to protect her unborn child and still fight better than well."

"The way she moves you would not think she is six months already. I practiced with her yesterday and she pinned me three times."

"Maybe Dimitri should mentor you as well?"

"That would be a good idea but I don't know if I am tough enough to take it. I always wondered how Rose handled all those laps and conditioning. But she is something fierce in a real fight. She took out 2 of 5 Strigoi at nearly five months when she was carrying little Essa."

"Don't Remind me. I was so mad at her for doing it."

"I am sure I would have been upset too. But I can understand why she did it."

"Eddie helped me understand. I still don't like it but I feel better now that you are working with her again."

"Chris tells me that she is a wicked good Instructor." I said.

"Chris and Rose have always worked well together. She works surprisingly well with Tasha too; considering the level of animosity they try to hid from everyone. Of course I can see how there Auras flair when they are near each other."

"She is nicer to Tasha than she deserves. Even Christian has noticed Tasha's indifference to Rose. It hurts me that someone who once was a very close friend could be so cold to the woman I love."

"Brother, she still blames Rose for you getting taken by the Strigoi."

"I know but it was not Roza's fault. She told me to take Tasha's offer but I realized I could not leave Roza even for the chance to be a father."

"Ironic isn't it? You thought that by choosing Rose you would be giving fatherhood up but instead she gave you a daughter."

"It is very ironic." He gave a very contented sigh. "As a friend I loved Tasha but I have never really been attracted to her. She is a very beautiful woman even with her scars. But there was always something about her personality that put me off. If I had taken the position as her Guardian I am not sure if I could have brought myself to be with her intimately. I would have immediately regretted my decision to leave Rose."

Dimitri cocked his head slightly.

"Speaking of Rose, she's here." The basement door opened and we heard footsteps coming down. Sometimes Dimitri's enhanced sense is a bit scary. Rose walked into the game room holding Theresa.

"Daddies!" Rose let her down and she ran first to Adrian who gave her a hug and a noisy kiss on her cheek. Then let her down so she could run to Dimitri. He picked her up and gave her a mess of kisses on her cheeks. This of course sent her into a fit of giggles.

"I forgot to pack Bear, Bear for Essa. Also I wanted to say good night to you guys in person. When she said this she blushed a little.

"I will take Essa to find Bear, Bear and you can talk with Dimitri for a moment." Dimitri handed her to Adrian who Put her over his shoulder and trotted away with her. Her nick name of Giggle Girl is very fitting. At ten months of age she looks and acts almost like a two year old. She is very happy and always finding reasons to laugh about something.

"Dimitri let's get some tea." She took him by the hand and headed up the stairs.

I knew what she was going to do. Unfortunately I was in the car with Rose, Lissa, and Janine when Janine questioned Rose about some very intimate matters. Janine was worried that Rose might be sleeping with both of them. It pissed Rose off that her mom would think she would do that. I was curious how she was handling the two husband thing but I know she would never go for that. I also couldn't imagine that they would ever allow it ether.

Lissa had said that she could feel that Rose had found a way to be intimate with Dimitri but it felt different than when she was intimate with Adrian. After she said that Rose sort of had to explain.

We all knew that Dimitri needed blood now but what we didn't know was that her blood is the only blood that he is not repulsed by. After talking with Adrian about it she decided to share her intimate feelings for Dimitri with him during his feedings. At first her mom got pissed.

"You're his Blood whore?" That made Rose mad enough to pull the car over to the side of the Road.

"This is nothing like that. That isn't about love. For the one being fed it is about power, and control. And for the one doing the feeding it is about getting a cheap High and the false feelings of love and security. Of all people I should know the difference between being a feeder, a blood whore and this! I have been a feeder to Lissa out of necessity and in Russia I was a blood whore for the Strigoi, Dimitri. This is about me giving and receiving real love. It is about me sharing with my husband something so personal and sacred because I am the only one who can give it to him. It is just as sacred and special as my time with Adrian but it does not conflict with the promises that Adrian and I took." She stopped ranting and took a breath. "Look this really isn't any of your business. It is between me and my husbands. It is my crazy situation and I am the one who has to deal with it."

Janine let it go but I think she still felt uncomfortable with it.

Later I told her that I thought it was a cool solution. She was relieved that I thought so. For the most part she doesn't care what other people think of her but ever since it had gotten out at school that she fed Lissa while they were away; she was a little sensitive about that term. What happened to her in Russia doesn't help. Dimitri is understandably sensitive about the subject too.

The funny thing is that to me it is just a Rose thing. It is part of who she is to be that loving and giving. I mean come on how many friends would go on the lamb to protect their friend. Mason and I we close but if we had been in that position I don't think I could have fed him. I might have paid a junky to feed him though. But Rose is so protective and caring with every one she loves; it makes sense to me that she would continue to feed Dimitri willingly. She already was wielding love every time she fed him; might as well use this as her unique way of making love. When it comes down to it I would feed Mia if she needed me to; even though it gives me the heebee jeebees to think of it.

Dimitri and Rose came back down holding hands and smiling. Rose had a scarf wrapped around her neck.

"So I heard that Chris made you guys watch 'The princess Bride.' Lissa did the same thing to us. The movie is growing on me a little."

"Did you have fun on your Girls Day?"

"We spent most of the day at the spa getting fruffed up for tomorrow. Look what Mia made me do! I can't imagine that these would be practical in a fight." She held up her hands to show me her nails. She was wearing acrylic nails. They really did look pretty but I know that is not what Rose wanted to hear.

"Well you look scary to me." She tongue stuck her out at me.

"Did I just hear you tell my wife that she is scary looking?" Adrian walked in holding a sleeping Theresa in his arms.

"He meant it in a good way. Oh good you found Bear, Bear. I swear how I could have forgotten him I don't know." Her voice sounded a little too innocent.

We walked them back to the car. Adrian buckled Theresa in her seat. Rose kissed Dimitri on the cheek, they held each other for a moment.

"Sleep well."  
"You too."

She kissed Adrian on the lips for a bit too long. I noticed that he held his hand on her neck during their kiss. My guess is that he was healing her wound from the feeding. So that is why she never has any marks. I gave a cough and they pulled apart.  
"Walk with me later?"  
"I'll get right to sleep and wait for you" he said.

After she drove away Adrian headed off to bed. Dimitri and I tried to get the other guys up to go to their rooms. Arthur told Dimitri that he would take night watch since Dimitri is in my wedding party.

Rose POV

Eddie and Mia's garden wedding was held At the House on Cherry Hill. Lissa, Adrian and I had all worked together to make the Garden spectacular. The Arch that they were married under was totally covered in delicate pink miniature roses. I got the pictures back from the photographer. Mia was going to love them. She was a beautiful bride and Eddie never looked so happy. Lissa was her maid of honor. Funny how just two years ago Mia and Lissa were enemies and now they are very close. Eddie chose Chris as his bestman; I was a brides made and Adrian a groomsman. Dimitri walked Theresa the flower girl up the aisle. We also had a disposable camera at each table; with those pictures Lissa and I put together a photo album. It was a bittersweet day for Mia because she missed her mother so much. Adrian and I gave them a trip to the Whitsunday Islands for their honeymoon. Adrian is thinking of buying a beach house there as a vacation home.

Things at work were in full swing. Tasha teaches the Moroi class 'Defensive Use of Elemental Magic'. The class I teach is 'Integration of Elemental Magic in Combat Situations' with both Guardian's and Moroi. In this class I was the lead instructor but Tasha and Chris were co instructors for obvious reasons. I also had a 'Self Defense for Moroi' class that Adrian and Dimitri helped me with.

When I first started to work with Tasha I thought that she and I were going to be able to be good friends. Unfortunately, Tasha basically hates me now but at least we have been able to put our feelings aside and work together. We both believe in this program wholeheartedly. I guess she had been trying to get Dimitri to take her offer again but he turned her down. Then when she heard that I had accepted him as the husband of my heart she was thoroughly pissed. I cannot help that we feel for each other what we feel. Believe me, life would have been much easier if he could have taken her offer and moved on. But first of all we do feel the way we do. We are bound by a magic that is very strong. She is not privy to the intimate details of our lives so she does not know that I am the only one who he can feed from. I suspect that it is because we are bound to each other in this special way.

I did notice that Arthur was looking at her a lot during Mia's wedding. I have been thinking of asking him for some help with the classes. Maybe if she can get interested in someone ells then she will let go of her hopes for my husband.

In mid august we are going to test the guardians and Moroi to see if they can work together before pairing them off and sending them to the various academies. I already see some pairings that I think might work well. The best is paring is Kialiiwai Torres, a guardian from Hawaii of all places and his charge Austin Smithe. Kialiiwai has bruit strength and impressive speed. His hits are accurate and powerful. He has earned Dimitri's respect and that in and of itself says a lot. Austin is an air wielder but he has a fairly high ability with fire too. Having a high ability in an element other than your specialty is rare but not completely unheard of. Chris told me that when Austin started the defensive magic class he had a fair handle on his elements but that he has excelled to the top of the class. When fighting together even Dimitri has not been able to beat them.

My stomach growled and I looked up at the clock. I was almost late for my lunch. I picked up my purse and ran off to the café. I ran to our regular booth and lid in next to Lissa. As I did the baby gave me a hard kick to the Ribs.

"Adrian can you tell your son to be nice to his mother?" I rubbed my side.

"He probably has your appetite and is mad because you are late to lunch. I already ordered for you so it should be here soon."

"Good, I am starving."

"So are you guys ever going to tell us his name?" Chris asked.

"Nope, not till he is born."

"Dimitri, do you know?" Janine asked him.

"Not telling if I did but I don't; he tries not to think about it."

We spent the rest of our lunch time with them trying to guess my son's name. Truth was Adrian and I were not sure what we wanted to name him. There were a few that we were thinking of but we just couldn't decide. It was fun leaving them wondering.

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I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I will try to get more done soon.

Suzanna


	35. The Brothers Ivashkov, Reflections

Most of this Chapter is Dimitri and Adrian reflecting on how the have felt about each other over the years. I felt that it was important so illustrate why these two men are so willing to have the unconventional marriage that they have with Rose.

I am also hoping that this chapter helps show why they have gone from being jealous and sometimes competitive as they are in the books to being the loving brothers with a close relationship.

I have given you a little bit of their family history too.

I really hope you enjoy it. though VA and all of Rachael's lovely characters belong to her; That which is mine I give to you.

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**_Chapter 35 Brothers Ivashkov, Reflections_**

**Dimitri POV**

Nathan was the Royal Moroi that my mother once loved. I never understood why my mother loved him. He was mean, and cruel to the children that she bore him and to her he was that and physically abusive as well. During my 8th year at St. Basil's academy I came home from school on holiday. Nathan showed up for a 'visit'; the first night I had heard them arguing in the next room. She had worked 10 hours every day for two weeks; her goal was to scrape up enough money to guy Christmas gifts for us. I had two older sisters and one younger.

He was doing business in Russia and pleasure. The pleasure he sought was in the form of my mother. She begged him not to because she was so tired. I heard him hitting her and then I heard her cry out. I knew that he was forcing himself on her and something in me snapped. I was known for my hot temper and bruit strength. In school I was always getting in trouble for fighting. I jumped out of bed and broke through her door. I tore him off of her and pummeled him with all I had. My mother had to call his guardians to intervene; it took all three of his guardians to pull me off and try to restrain me.

"Dimka, stop! Do not let him make you like him. Please my sweet boy calm down. Please, please, calm down." She looked at me with desperation. I thought over the words that she had just said to me. "_Do not let him make you like him_." That one sentence had changed my life. From that moment on I took it upon myself to learn to control my anger and aggression.

Fortunately Nathan was embarrassed enough that he had been badly beaten up by his 13 yr old son who had not yet even started his formal novice training. It is against the law for a Dhampir to harm a Moroi. It is our place to protect them. He swore that he would never contact my mother again. The next week I returned to school. Shortly thereafter I received a large envelope from Yeva. Inside was a letter from her and a separate envelope. I read Yeva's letter first.

~~*xXx*~~

Dear Grandson.

This letter arrived for you yesterday. You do not know him but the boy who sent it is your brother. Pay close attention to his letter. One day he will be very important in your life. He is your brother someday you will be glad that you have him.  
I love you grandson

Yeva

~~*xXx*~~

Next I picked up the unopened envelope. It had my home address on it, where my name should have been it read 'The son of Olena Belikova.' I opened the envelope.

~~*xXx*~~

To the son of Olena Belikova.

My name is Adrian Marcus Ivashkov. My father is Nathan Ivashkov. He came home from a trip to Baia looking badly beaten up; he said that he had been mugged. My mother is afraid of him so she wouldn't tell him that she didn't believe him. My father gets so mad at us especially when he drinks. He hits us a lot and I am very afraid of him. Sometimes I get scarred that he might hit me till I die.

Today she heard his guardians talking about how you fought with him to protect your mother. Afte,r she heard this she made a very important decision. We are going to leave him and live with my grandma. I know that I will be safe there.

I want to thank you because my Mother said that your bravery gave her the courage to leave. I really think that you saved my life and maybe someday I can help you too.

You're Brother

Adrian M. Ivashkov

~~*xXx*~~

After that I kept my ears open for anything that was said about Adrian. He was three years younger than me. At first there was not much to hear. It wasn't till after I graduated that I began to hear more about him. His sophomore year of school he began to act out. He began drinking and partying. As the years went on I began to hear stories that connected him with many women. (I noticed that all the women he was said to dally with were Moroi; I was grateful that he was not using Dhampir women.) It was said that he cared about nothing but himself. I was sad over the thought that the sweet little boy that was once so grateful to be getting away from his father; now appeared to be a reflection of his him.

The main reason I heard so much about him was because he was the Queens favorite nephew. Well at least that is what the world thought he was. I knew the truth because Yeva told me. Yeva used to be Queen Tatiana's near guard and somewhat close friend. She was by her side when her first husband Lord Marcus Ivashkov, died in a hunting accident; shortly after the Queen had met Nathanial Cervantes.

Nathanial had been a very kind and gentle non Moroi. Tatiana found love again but Yeva had foreseen that tragedy would strike them. She tried to warn Tatiana but instead of being grateful for the warning she became angry. Things between Yeva and Tatiana became strained. Yeva stood by her friend despite the tension between them.

While Nathanial had been away on a business trip to the Czechoslovakia he was attacked and turned by Strigoi. Shortly after Tatiana found out that she was carrying his child. She feared for the safety of her child. If Nathanial found out; he might try to abduct the child. She hid herself away at the home of her youngest sister, Cassandra, who lived in America and gave birth to her son. To keep her child safe she asked her Cassandra to raise him as her own.

Tatiana had been active in politics her whole adult life and was chosen by King Richard Conta to take his place as ruler of the Moroi/Dhampir world. She moved her court to the rural town in Pennsylvania where Cassandra and her husband Philip lived. This way she could be close to her son.

Yeva felt it was time for her to leave Guardianship for motherhood. Her resignation hurt Tatiana greatly. In retaliation she reinforced laws prohibiting marriage among Dhampirs. She also made it a social taboo for Moroi to marry Dhampirs.

Despite the tension and hurt feelings between them Yeva took it on herself to do one last thing to protect her former friend and charge. She set out to find and kill Nathanial. She searched for him for two years before finding him and releasing his soul. During that time she herself gave birth to a daughter whom she named Karolena or Olena as a knick name.

I had first learned that Rose was with Adrian a few months after she escaped from the Strigoi that occupied my body. I had been furious for several reasons. First had been that she was mine. Granted I couldn't feel any love for her but in my mind she belonged to me. Second reason was that he was my half brother whether they knew it or not. Lastly I could not comprehend how Rose could have settled for that slovenly drunkard.

Rumors circulated that he had cleaned up his act. He was no longer associated with multiple women, he was sober and had even quit smoking. Later when I had planned to attack and abduct Rose; Rose charmed me with her healing stake. Along with a pellet of charmed silver that she injected into my leg she gave me the necklace from the lust charm and Adrian gave me a ring. The ring he gave me was Identical to his wedding band. The words he spoke to me when he gave me the ring made me wonder if he realized that Roza was the wife of my heart. It was strange but I could feel the love from Rose in these charms but I could also feel brotherly love from Adrian. I remembered the letter from years ago. The last line he had written was. 'I really think that you saved my life and maybe someday I can help you too.'

He did help me many times over. I was unable to hunt after my soul was given some authority over my body; he was the first to offer me his blood to sustain me. He provided me with donated blood and shelter while we waited for the cure. When Rose learned the way to save me he helped her by giving her and I the essence of his spirit. Once I was whole again he integrated me into his home and allowed me to have a relationship with my child and wife.

My brother and I are very close. Yes we are spirit bound but I think that the true miracle of our relationship is that we are brothers. We were not raised together and never had any interaction till last year but it is as if we have known and loved each other all of our life's.

Roza is carrying his son and I rejoice for him. One might expect that there would be some jealousy between us because he is the one that Roza is physically intimate with; but there is none. Just as he loves my little Theresa as if she was his child, I love his son as if he was mine.

Adrian POV

When I was a child my father was a horribly intimidating man. He was always yelling at us. He would get most violent when he drank. There was something about me specifically that must have rubbed him the wrong way. Most often I was the first and most severely beaten during his rampages. On three occasions he broke my arm by twisting it. There were a few times that he hit me against the wall so hard that I lost consciousness. In some part of my young mind I knew that one day soon I would take a hit and never wake up. I almost welcomed that day because it would finally put an end to the beatings.

My father had a Dhampir family somewhere in Siberia. I heard his guardians talking about him going to see the Belikov woman and his bastard children. Out of curiosity I once searched his desk when he was away visiting them. I found an address for Olena Belikova in Baia Russia. I looked up the town in an atlas. Baia was in Siberia; I knew that this had to be the same family. I wrote it down and saved it. I had a sister and she was nice to me but for some reason she and I were not close. There were many times that I wrote letters to the children who lived there but I never sent them. Part of me wanted so much to know my other siblings.

When I was 10 yrs old my father came home early from a trip to Russia. He had bruises all over his face and body. When my mother asked him what happened he slapped her and said that he had been mugged. That had to be a lie; how could a man who had three Guardians with him at all times that he was out beyond wards get mugged. Mother didn't question him farther but a few days later she overheard some his Guardians talking to her Guardian. She hid behind a door listening. I stood behind her and listened too.

"The poor woman had told him that she has been working overtime because she wanted to give her children Christmas gifts. She asked him if he could come back after Christmas when the older children would be back in to St. Basils Academy. Of course this was not acceptable to Lord Ivashkov. He tried to rape her but her son broke her door down to come to her rescue. That boy is so strong and already such a skilled fighter but he doesn't begin formal training till next school year." Momma's Guardian was astonished.

"Surely the boy had to have known the trouble he could have gotten into for the injuries he caused to Lord Ivashkov."

"Oh he most certainly did. I questioned him about it. He told me that he would go to prison for the rest of his life if he had do but that No man Royal or not had the right to treat a woman the way his mother has been treated by that man. Thankfully we convinced Lord Ivashkov that it would be terribly embarrassing should anyone learn that it was his own son was the one who got the better of him."

My mother turned from the door. When she saw me she held me and I could feel her silent tears fall down onto my shoulder. That day she quietly packed up some suit cases with clothing for my sister and me. We left home before Father got home from work. Grandmother Cassandra said we could stay with her and we drove for two days to get to her house. While we drove I wrote a letter to my brother. I didn't know his name but I wanted to thank him. Now that we were leaving Father I finally felt safe. I asked the lady at some café we ate at along the way if she could mail it for me. I never knew if my letter ever got to him or not but I prayed that I one day I could save his life and return the favor.

I continued to be taught by a tutor till I was in High school. My first year of academy had been wonderful but then my second year everything changed. I should have begun to specialize in an element but that never happened. I started to see colors around people. The force of it would give me massive headaches. Some feeder who had been a major drug addict before said something to me about me having an amazing aura. I looked the word up on the internet and discovered that the colors and swirls I saw around every one were called an Aura. I also learned that I could compel people very easily. It really freaked me out that I could make people do shit just by telling them to. When I fell asleep thinking about someone I somehow pulled them into my dreams. For lack of a better name for it I called it dream walking. There were not too many people I felt comfortable dream walking with. In fact Cousin Sasha was probably the only one who liked it.

I started to have bouts of depression and other times I would act a bit crazy. One night I went to a party and got drunk. The auras dimmed and I wasn't able to compel people so well. I liked it the feeling of being drunk, so I found was to stay that way. I did try other drugs but they didn't have the same effect and I didn't like the feeling of being high because it felt crazy to me. I did like the feeling that clove cigarettes gave me. The next ten years I stayed drunk almost constantly.

I had a lot of woman hit on me; mostly because they wanted to get there claws into the Queen's favorite nephew. Of these woman the majority were power hungry Moroi. There were a few Dhampirs but I could never quite bring myself to toy with them. Every time I thought about getting sweaty with a Dhampir I thought about my father and how he had forced himself of my brother's mother. Also I saw how hard that they Dhampir kids worked to learn how to fight. It bothered me that while us Moroi were learning things that will help us reach for our dreams the Dhampir kids were learning to put their dreams aside to keep us safe. The idea of using a girl who would give up her like to save me was a kind of messed up that even I would never do.

When Rhonda told me about meeting Lissa and Rose I scoffed but I let curiosity get the best of me. I went to the lodge and waited to meet them. I saw Rose out skiing with her friend. Her Aura grabbed my attention. I had to talk to her and when I did I was drawn to her. I gave her nickname that for me showed her the highest respect. From the first moment on she would be my Lil' Dhampir.

Rhonda had been right. Rose's heart did belong to another man. Guardian Dimitri Belikov; the moment I saw them together knew that he was the one she would always belong to. I could see that even though there was tension between them at the time their auras did something I had never seen before. Rose's aura would reach out and caress his and vice versa. It was like they were really part of each other. Had I not known that I was supposed to love this girl I would have tried to make myself back off.

I went back to the Academy with them and began to study spirit with Lissa. I had to cut back on my drinking to be able to accomplish anything. I continued to flirt with Rose but she never took me seriously. We were friends and I never pushed the issue too far. After the attack on the Academy Rose came to me for help. It hurt me to give her the money to leave but I knew that before she could be mine she was going to accomplish her mystery task.

Memories of my life with a drunken father haunted me. So while Rose was gone I tried to quit drinking but between the D. Ts and Avery's compulsion I soon took it up again. After Rose saved Lissa from Avery and we knew she was coming home I asked Dr Olendzki for help. She admitted me to the med clinic so that I could go through De Tox with medical help and guidance. I was put on a very mild anti depressant but after Lissa learned to make spirit rings I got off the meds. I still felt the effects of spirit from time to time.

When Rose came back she did turn to me. At first it was more of a friendship but it grew quickly. Within a few weeks I realized that she was carrying Dimitri's child. I felt an instant love for this fatherless child and I knew that I had to help Rose raise it. First I had to tell Rose that she was pregnant because Rose herself didn't know. Things moved quickly after that. She moved in with me and I proposed to her. We married as soon as she had graduated. She was like a miracle to me. I had never loved anyone in my life the way I loved her and the baby. It took me a while but I realized that she was taking my darkness as well as Lissa's but she was not keeping it. The kitten she saved took them from her.

When the time came to help her give Dimitri's soul control over the body I did. I knew what it would mean if he was brought back from the undead. I would have to give her back to him soon. I now knew that He was the boy who had saved me from my father. I had once asked God to grant me the chance to save him and this was my chance. Whatever the repercussions for me I would save my brother. Very often Rhonda's words would haunt me.

Rose gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She looked so much like my brother. I loved her so much. She is my family no matter what. Her father is my brother so even if I had not married Rose I would have been her uncle. Sometimes it makes me laugh how intertwined this all is.

I was relieved when Rose figured out how to save Dimitri. There was no weirdness between us. You would think that we would have been jealous and competitive over her. Instead we found balance there are some things that rose had to figure out and she did it beautifully. I have a more physically intimate relationship with her and Dimitri has a more psychically intimate one. Of course there are times when she wields her love to me but I never feed from her; that is something that only they share. Also there are times that she hugs and kisses him but it does not go beyond that because sex is something she only shares with me.

Rose is going to have my baby boy soon. She is 8 months pregnant and getting bigger. I have seen Rose sitting on one end of the couch with Dimitri lying with his head in her lap. He will be talking or singing to our son in Russian. It makes me happy to see that he loves our boy as much as I love our girl. Theresa calls him Daddy Dimitri and I am Daddy Adrian. I have heard him use these names when talking to Rose's belly.

Tomorrow Rose, Dimitri Theresa and I are going to be setting off for the next few weeks traveling to some of the Academies to see how the program is working out. Tasha, Chris, Nicolai and Arthur will travel to the rest of them because rose won't be able to make it all of them before it is time for her to give birth.

Rose's POV

We had gone through most of the Academies on my list; the last one was the one I was most looking forward to visiting. First off my star students Kealiiwai and Austin had requested this school because it was their alma mater. And the other reason was that this was that St Columban's Academy in Ireland was the only Academy that was not Eastern Orthodox; this was the Only Roman Catholic Academy. I always had an interest in things that went against the norm so this school really caught my attention.

The school was located in a rural part of Ireland. There was one thing about St Columban's that had both Dimitri and Adrian upset that I insisted in taking this school; the landing strip and hanger for the private planes was 10 miles west of the main campus. There was a two lane road that leads from the hanger to the main gate. A school van and several guardians were waiting for us when we landed. It was not yet dawn when we landed. Adrian carried Theresa off the plane while Dimitri got her car seat and diaper bag. Kealiiwai and Austin were both waiting with another guardian. They both rushed up to Dimitri and offered to help. He gave them Essa's things and went back to help me off the plane. My belly was big and my balance was a little unsteady at times.

"Hey teach, looks like you're ready to pop."

"Did you name him yet? We have some suggestions for you."

"I've already told you boys that I love ya but we are not naming our kid Kealiiwai Austin or Austin Kealiiwai." Dimitri was holding back laughter as I said this to them for the millionth time.

"We had to give it another try." They said it at the same time. I had to laugh.

"If I didn't already know better I would think you boys had a bond." I could tell that Adrian was looking at their Auras as he spoke.

"Nah, we are just best friends and have been since birth. We're cousins, our moms are twins."

"How come you guys never told me?" I was a little miffed but it was hard to stay angry with these two.

"The application never asked so why make it public?"

We carried on an easy banter as they loaded our things into the van. They were my favorite students not just because they were so good but because they were fun. They knew when to be serious and take care of business but they also knew how to keep people interested. If Stan Alto had been like them I would never have gotten kicked out of his class.

The sun was just beginning to rise as we drove the 20 minutes to the gate and then another 10 from there to the car park. When we got close to the car park Kealiiwai let them know that we were almost there. Two novices stood at attention waiting for us.

With a voice full of authority Austin told the boys. "Take their things to guest housing number 10, and I want it done carefully and quickly." I realized that the novices must be serving detention.

We walked slowly through guest housing. Instead of a large building that looked just like a dorm; they had little houses. Each was about 15 feet apart from the others and looked like they might have two rooms each. I noticed that the numbers in on the doors descended from 25. The novices went back and forth three times each before we reached number 10. At this end the houses were a little larger.

All our things were waiting by the door and the novices were waiting at attention. Kealiiwai handed me a key. I opened the door and allowed the boys to bring them in. Dimitri helped them sort out whose suitcases went to which room.

"James, Patrick, you may get back to your dorms and do not let me catch you sneaking out past curfew again." Kealiiwai gave them a stern Guardian look and both boys nodded their heads. Then they turned to us.

"Good night Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Belikov, Lord Ivashkov." Both boys turned and walked away.

"I am glad that at least your students know how to be respectful." I smiled at my former students knowing that they would think about the informal greeting that they had given us.

"Sorry teach, oh ah…. Guardian Hathaway." I smiled at them and gave them both a hug.

"That's better." They gave us a short tour of the house. We would be meeting with the headmistress in the morning after Alii ( Kealiiwai's nick name.) and Austin showed us around campus and took us to breakfast in the dining hall. We said our goodnight s and Headed off to our nightly routine. Set up portable crib for Essa who was still sleeping soundly in since Adrian got her off the van. We each gave her good night kisses. Adrian took a shower while Dimitri and I took a moment together.

There were no chairs in Dimitri's Room so we had to sit on the bed. I loved the way he held me during our feedings. One hand would be wrapped around my back caressing me or tangled in my hair that he loved so much and his other hand would be laid gently over my baby. We took a few moments to talk and connect with each other. Adrian and I concluded that in these moments a little bit of kissing and caressing was normal and within bounds. Dimitri with his incredible self control never pushed the bounds. He kissed me softly on the lips then trailed kissed to my neck. I could both hear, and feel him take in my sent. I did the same to him. I didn't even need to Wield love to him it would happen naturally on its own from the moment that I knew I was about to share my blood with him. His fang's gently sank into me and with the rush of blood came even more of our love's intensity. He drank slowly prolonging our time together. Once he was done he kissed my neck and back up to my face. He kissed me lips and I parted them. The taste of my blood mixed with the flavor of him. Our kiss intensified briefly before subsiding. He held me for a few moments as he said good night to my unborn baby.

I took a quick shower and dressed for bed. The night air was cold and the heater was not quite warming the house yet. I snuggled in with Adrian and initiated a dream walk with him.

* * *

Ok just so that you know the last names I have used in this story are almost all made up. The first names are often the names of some of the kids that have gone through my class. Roes's star students are actually some of my little ones that though they are cute as bugs and sweet as sugar are also some of my most chalenging kids. the two novices are also some of mine. I often wonder what my kids will become when they are older. I hope that they all make me proud.

just wondering Did I accomplish the goals that I set out for myself in my AN before my story.

Please Review and let me know.

Suzanna


	36. St Columban's Academy

Sorry that it has taken me so long to post. I hope you like this chapter. By the way I named the academy after the perochial school I attended as a child.

I do not Own VA but that which has been born to my imagination I share with you.

* * *

** St. Columban's Academy**

Adrian and I were snuggled up in our dream walk when the scenery around us morphed. I had been the one to initiate the dream walk tonight and I should have had control over the setting. We went from laying naked in our bed, at our home to swimwear and poolside recliners. I looked at Adrian wondering if this was his doing.

"This is not me. I don't even recognize the location." I looked around, everything looked familiar. It was one of the houses that Lissa's family had owned. We spent a whole summer here one year. It was in Anaheim Hills California. Every evening that summer we practically lived at the beach and at Disney Land. She and I had been so happy here.

"Lissa is that you? Are you here?" I heard her giggle and she came out from behind a pillar. The happiness I felt through the bond showed clear on her face.

"I DID IT! I FINALLY FUCKING DID IT!" I was more shocked by her language than I was over her accomplishment.

"Lissa, you swore!" She blushed.

"Sorry it's just that I have been working on this for almost 2 years and I finally did it."

We both rushed over to her to attack her with hugs and kisses. She had always wanted to be able to Dream walk and it had seemed that it was the one thing she would never learn.

"Hey I have to get going. I took a nap in the middle of work so I can share this with you. Oh and by the way now I see why you guys dream walk every night. Chris is _loving_ this?"

"Have a Good day Liss. Love you and can't wait to really see you."

"Bout time you learned this. I'm proud of you." Adrian gave her one last hug and kiss. Her dreamscape faded leaving Adrian and I back in our room and in each other's arms. We had just started to kiss when I heard our giggle girl laughing and talking to Dimitri.

"I guess it's time to get up." Adrian held me a little closer as I woke up. I looked over at him and he smiled before opening his eyes.

"Good Morning my Lil' Dhampir." He gave me a hug n kiss then with a sigh he me get up to start the day.

I dressed in the traditional black trousers and blazer with a white blouse. When we made Official visits to the academies it was customary to dress in the unofficial official Guardian uniform. I braided my hair loosely then wound the braid into a soft bun. Adrian had made the bed and dressed while I was doing my hair.

I walked into the living room where Dimitri and Adrian were reading her Green Eggs and Ham. Adrian did the voice of Sam I Am and Dimitri did the Voice of the guy who does not want to try the green eggs and ham. I sat and listened. The Voices they made were so funny but my favorite thing was Giggle girl's laughter.

She has grown so much. I wish she had not grown so fast. Other mothers get to savor their child's babyhood. But at just under ten months old she looked and acted more like a twenty month old. I had no idea how long or short her life would be. Yeva suspected that her growth would slow to normal soon. I hope she is right; Yeva has always been right. I look at my watch and realize that we have to hurry.

"Essa it's time for a feeding." She smiles her biggest smile at me and comes over to me climbing into my lap. Since Moroi children need blood from birth on and they get it while nursing; they are nursed till the age of two and then they are taught to go to the feeders as an older Moroi would do. For Theresa it would be sooner than that. In just 2 months she will be at the development of a two year old and so she will be going to the feeders then.

As I nursed her Adrian and I told Dimitri about Lissa. He was shocked as we were about her foul language. I think I have only heard her swear a handful of times. I on the other hand still had trouble keeping my language clean.

By the time we all had our rain boots and coats on there was a knock at our door.

"Mr. Smith and Guardian Gomez wanted us to show you to the dining hall." I had to stifle a laugh as I saw Dimitri raise his eyebrow and give them his stern guardian mask.

"Did you boys sneak out again?" Patrick and James both sighed and looked down.

"Yes we did sir."  
"It was his idea." James pointed at Patrick.

Patrick nudged James and it looked like they might try to scuffle. Dimitri gave a small grunt and put a hand on each boys shoulder.

"Sorry Guardian Belikov. This way please." They turned and led us to the main campus.

Once in the commons we were joined by Alii and Austin. When we reached the dining hall the novices were allowed to go and join their friends.

As we walked through the dining hall I watched how the kids interacted. For the most part the student body was well integrated. The children all wore uniforms and it was harder to tell who was Royal and who was not; harder but not impossible. I could still see the subtle signs of the typical clicks that exist in every school.

Austin opened the door to the teachers dining hall and ushered us in. I was surprised to see that almost half of the staff were nuns. I was somewhat familiar with Roman Catholic Nuns and Priests because when Lissa and I were on the run it was safer for us to avoid anything that could be associated with Moroi including Eastern Orthodox Churches. Lissa being as devout as she is, she insisted that we make a concession and attend whatever Roman church was near us at the time.

A tall nun walked up to us. The habit she wore was slightly different than the one that the others wore and she had a white vale with three slight points to it whereas the others had a plain blue one. Kealiiwai did the introductions for us.

"Mother Superior, my I introduce you to Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, Guardian Dimitri Belikov and Lord Adrian Ivashkov." He turned to us. "This is our headmistress, Sr. Katherine Murphy.

She reached out to shake each of our hands.

"I am very happy to meet each of you." Then she addressed me with a knowing smile. "I cannot tell you how very pleased I am to meet the descendant of Bridget Donnelly." I was taken aback by this.

"I am sorry but how did you know that I am her descendant? I just barely learned about her a few months ago."

"She was Irish was she not? It has been the privilege of this school to keep what precious little knowledge about her safe. We have been following her family line for centuries and I must say that it has been growing smaller rather than larger. I am afraid that we lost track of the descendants of her spirit wielding friend but I suspect that you have stumbled across them."

She smiled and inclined her head towards Adrian and Dimitri. I could feel my face blush but I managed to put my mask on so that I could hide most of my feelings of astonishment. I had a feeling that this nun was very well informed about this journey that I am supposed to be on. Part of me wanted to ask her to please tell me everything she knows but I had to put my work first. I think Sr. Katherine realized this.

"Well perhaps we can save that for another time. Please join me for breakfast and I will tell you more about our school and then you can observe the classes."

Just like the kids in the hall we waited in line for our food but instead of finding a table Sr. Katherine led us to one. She spoke of her school with a pride of a mother.

"Starting from kindergarten Moroi and Dhampirs have to work on projects together in every subject. It is a goal of the school to teach them to socialize and interact together. Later when the novices begin training; interaction is still encouraged in the non novice classes. The Integrated Combat class of course is fully integrated."

"That kind of integration must be part of the reason that Mr. Smith and Guardian Gomez worked so well together during our training."

"Well I am sure the fact that they are very close cousins had something to do with it too. I hope you will find that all of our students work well together."

"Pardon me for asking Sr. Katherine but you are not Moroi and you don't quite look like Dhampir ether."

"Very astute of you to notice Guardian Hathaway; I am Human as are five other sisters here. The Order which runs this school is the Sisters of Divine Mercy. We take vows when we become a Religious. These vows are not unlike the verbal ones you took with Lord Ivashkov or the nonverbal ones that bind you to Guardian Belikov. Also belonging to an Order is almost like the army; you go where they tell you and if your mission is classified you don't talk about it with outsiders."

"I believe that I can understand that. A guardian rarely has any choice whom it is that they will protect and once given a charge they will give their life to protect them." I paused for a moment before I let my guard down a little. "I was not aware Sr. Katherine that you were knew of the unique situation of my marriage."

"Well Alii did not want me to be surprised by it. He said that it had been a difficult thing for you when you learned the full truth of the situation." The others at the table had been quietly listening to our conversation but Alii lowered his head and blushed. Sr. Smiled at him. "I think he wanted to protect you from having to explain yourself. What he does not know is that it was said that the wielder of Life and Death would have a husband who knew only of life and one who had been pulled like her; from the other side."

"Class will begin in ten minutes would you like to walk with us or join in later?" Austin said after clearing his throat.

"We'll walk there with you, Austin. Which class do you guys have first?"

"First we have Defensive Magic, with junior class. Then next hour we have Integrated Combat, with the juniors. Third and Forth hour is the same with the seniors. The seniors have elected to have extra training before and after school; since they will not have the benefit of having two years training like the junior class will."

"I admire their dedication. I know what a pain it is to get up early every morning and leave late every day just to catch up to my class." I said.

"What about the dedication of their teachers who are also taking timeout of their own days to help them?" Dimitri gave an amused look.

Adrian gave a little cough that sounded more like a stifled laugh. He glanced at Dimitri out of the corner of his eye. Dimitri gave him a slightly shocked look. I could only imagine what Adrian had told Dimitri through their bond. There was a slight blush that crept up Dimitri's face. Thankfully the guys never noticed the exchange. So I ignored it and continued asking questions.

We observed all four classes and I have to say that I am impressed. I had always expected that they would be good teachers but they were great. It almost made me miss my academy days, almost.

We joined Sr. Katherine again for lunch. The subject of Bridget Donnelley came up again when I noticed a portrait hanging over the fire place. She looked exactly as I remembered her; reddish brown hair that hung in soft waves, Intense green Eyes that were even deeper than Adrian's, I pointed to the portrait and told Theresa.

"See the lady in the picture? That is a grandma from a very long time ago." She looked at it for a moment.

"She is a pretty lady, momma." I smiled at my daughter and nodded. Sr. Katherine looked a little contemplative.

"She was quite an extraordinary warrior; it is a shame that the promise mark has completely replaced Hunters mark."

"Hunters mark? I have never heard of that before. Could you tell me about it?" I didn't even bother to hide my curiosity.

"The hunters mark was a very light blue tattoo that was shaped like the full moon. Bridget herself was the designer of it. It marked those who hunted Stigoi from those who guarded against them. Only Dhampirs received a Promise mark but both Moroi and Dhampirs could receive a Hunters mark. The hunters worked in groups that operated much like a wolf pack. Both Guardians and hunters could get Moinjia and Zvezda marks."

"I have met un-promised Novices who have left the academies and gone off to hunt Strigoi. I fought with them for a few weeks. They were good fighters but they lacked the discipline and finer training that they would have gotten if they finished school. While I was with them I tried to teach them to fight smart. I have often wondered what ever happened of them. If they could have an alternative to becoming promised guardians I wonder if we could keep kids like them in school till graduation."

"That would be a good Idea to bring up to the Princess and Queen Tatiana." Dimitri had a sad and serious look in his eyes but it was apparent only to me. He knew that I was referring to my time in Russia just before he captured me.

After lunch Sr. Katherine gave me a flash drive. I must have looked a bit confused.

"We have taken the time to put Bridget's first two journals on this flash drive. As we get more into our data base I will send you more journals."

"Thank you Sister, I was just going to ask if I could take a look at them."

After school was out; Dimitri and Adrian helped Austin and Alii with the afterschool training. Theresa and I sat on the gym bleachers and watched. She loved to watch anytime the guardians sparred together. I loved to watch Dimitri move; to me it was beautiful. He moved with such grace. Over the last year Adrian has become more graceful as well and his strength was amazing.

We decided to eat dinner with the students. It was nice to talk to them and see what their thoughts were about the program. The general consensus was overwhelmingly positive. After Dinner I told my husbands that I was feeling tired and wanted to turn in early. I still had three weeks till my due date but I would be glad in two days when we would be going back home.

I gave Theresa her bath and helped brush her teeth. Once she was done she gave me her big fanggy smile. Lissa has been trying to teach her to smile without showing her fangs. Somehow I think it will be a long time before she masters it. She dressed for bed then ran to get her fathers.

"Daddies, Daddies." She giggled as she called them. I followed her into the living room in time to see her launch herself at Dimitri who was the nearest to her. He caught her and held her close. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled and answered him in Russian. I understood enough to know that she said something about loving him all the way to the moon too. He kissed her cheeks and extended his arms so she could pretend to fly. He flew her over to Adrian who took her and showered her in kisses. He flew her to her room and into her crib. She settled down under her blankets. Dimitri pulled out her favorite bedtime book; Tales from Shakespeare (For children) She chose the play and then Adrian began to read. Every night they took turns reading to her. She held her bear, bear and fell asleep before he finished the story.

"I am going to go see how my stocks are doing and get some work done. I'll come to bed in an hour or so." Adrian kissed me before heading to the kitchenette where he had his laptop. Though I have no doubt that he really wants to get a little work done I also know when he is discretely giving Dimitri and I some private time. He is tries very hard not to monopolize my time. Dimitri and I went to talk in his room. We sat on the floor like we used to during training sessions in the gym. As we talked the baby started to get active; I reached out for Dimitri's hand and placed it on my belly. He liked to feel the baby move inside me. We kept on talking and enjoying the time we had together.

"I think he is trying to stretch it feels like he is standing on my ribcage."

I had to lean back to ease the pressure. Dimitri lowered his head to talk to the baby. He spoke in Russian as usual. I love hearing him speak in his native language. He has been teaching me; and I can understand a lot now but I still have trouble speaking it. Unfortunately he still won't teach me to swear. I listened to him talk to the baby and tears welled in my eyes when I heard him say moi syn (my son). I suspected that he loved Adrian son as much as Adrian love his daughter; but to hear him say it made me so happy. He looked into my eyes.

"Roza you are moya zhena moego serdtsa; (my wife of my heart) I will love any child you bring into this world."

I pulled him close to me and kissed him. He pulled me onto his lap and held me in an embrace. I felt so close to him and at that moment I wanted to make love to him in the special way that we do. I started to kiss his neck and nibble his ear. He gave a soft sigh and moved his hand into my hair. Love flowed between us. He brought my lips to meet his and he kissed me with such tenderness it made me shiver. I tilted my head slightly; with the hand that was tangled in my hair he guided my neck to his lips. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feel of his vampire kiss. No endorphin high could compare to the feeling of the love that sharing of my blood brought us. He only needed blood every few days but we needed each other more often than that.

He held me close for some time and I drifted to sleep in his arms. I didn't even hear him call to Adrian but I woke to Adrian laying me on our bed. I looked at him and he smiled at me. He brought me my nighties . I sat up and began to undress but he put my hands down and took over, once I was undressed he applied vitamin enriched oil on my belly then dressed me for bed. I lay down; the last things I felt were his kiss on my cheek and his hand over my neck. I drifted back to sleep with the sensation of his healing spirit.

The next day we again joined in on the classes. I wanted to participate but both of my husbands objected. Instead I sat on the sidelines and explained to my Essa how or why a move made by a novice was good or bad. She had an eye for critiquing. I bet she will be an even better guardian than her parents.

After dinner the school held an assembly in there amphitheater. I was going to bring Essa with us since Adrian and Dimitri were both expected to be there too. Thankfully Sr. Katherine came up to us just before the assembly and told us that a freshman had offered to babysit for us. After meeting the girl and talking with her fathers about it I consented.

First Guardian Gomez and Mr. Smith wanted to show how well a properly trained Moroi can defend themselves. They asked my guys to help them out. Adrian and Austin of course were on the defensive. Alii and Dimitri were on offensive, AKA Strigoi. I felt bad for him because I know it bothers him to play that role but he does it anyway. Dimitri and Alii began their attack. It took about fifteen minutes for Austin to 'kill' Alii with his stake. In the end he had him staked first then pinned down he called some water out of the bucked nearest me and doused him with it. Alii Jumped up and shook his hair sending water all over Austin.

Adrian and Dimitri were still fighting. Watching them was like watching some kind of sophisticated choreography. Adrian looked tired and he did something unexpected. He stopped and stood still. Dimitri gave him and angry look and lunged toward him launching himself in the air. As he did Adrian positioned his stake into Dimitri's path. With no way to change direction mid flight Dimitri essentially staked himself. A practice stake won't penetrate but it will hurt like hell and leave a nasty bruise when you get hit with one that hard. Adrian extended his hand to Dimitri; when their hands touched I could see from their faces as well as through Dimitri that Adrian sent him healing spirit.

Next the Best students from the senior integrated combat class came up to show how well Moroi and Guardians can work together during a battle. A few students brought up a couple of large potted trees. Another student refilled the water bucket that Austin used to drench Alii. There was a Moroi student and a novice for each element.

Ten of the schools guardians played the part of Strigoi. Dimitri and Adrian sat on either side of me. I was very impressed with the fire wielder's ability to envelop the head of her opponent without actually burning him. From what Chris told me it is actually a very difficult skill to learn.

I had to avert my eyes away from the air wielder. Watching him work brought me flashbacks from when Lissa was abducted by Viktor Dashkov. Dimitri put a gentle hand over mine; I knew he was remembering how I experienced through Lissa.

The most fascinating was the earth wielder. He caused the earth to open up under her opponent and made it close in around his legs trapping hi waist deep. She also used the trees to grab hold of two opponents trapping them.

There were two large buckets of water on the stage for the water wielder. She used the water to disorient her opponents much the way Mia did. She also took the water making a cyclone of water around one opponent. She called the water from the bucket that was near us. As the water flowed over our heads I caught a whiff of it.

"Alcohol!"

Dimitri Rushed up and pushed the water wielder down and covered her with himself. At the same time her 'water' connected with a ball of fire that was flying over head. Adrian leapt over and covered me as I was about to cover him. Together we braced for the explosion. There was a flash of heat and then screams and crying.

Adrian and I rushed over to the epicenter. Dimitri was rolling to extinguish the fire on his duster. He was unharmed as was the water wielder he shielded. Virtually every one on stage and several in the front row were burned. The Doctor and her nurses came rushing up. Dimitri has triage training as every Guardian does plus he had some additional training from his former charge's father. He helped bandage the patients with moderate damage. Adrian obviously when to heal the most severely injured. I helped the ones with minor burns.

About ten minutes later I felt a strong pain from my back moving forward. The intensity of it caused me to fall to my knees as I grunted. I began to do a few reps of breathing exorcizes. I know that labor can take a long time so once the pain subsided. I continued to work but was interrupted by another contraction. Again I was doubled over breathing.

"Guardian Hathaway, are you in labor?" I grunted and nodded my head. I had no idea who asked me and I really didn't care ether. I was still breathing through the last of it when I felt a strong pair of arms lift me and cradle me.

"I can walk. I can walk." Dimitri and Adrian both said "NO!" I gave in and held on to Dimitri. We were being led by a novice across campus to the med clinic. About half way there I felt another one hit. I buried my head in Dimitri's chest in an effort to stifle my moan. Dimitri stiffened and mumbled something in Russian. I concentrated on my breathing; his intoxicating sent helped to calm me.

"Dimitri that was three minutes apart." Adrian sounded nervous

"Yes I know." I could hear Dimitri fight to remain calm.

I kept my eyes closed and tried to think relaxing thoughts. I heard the sound of the automatic doors hiss. Dimitri soon set me down on a hospital bed. I let my arms fall down to my sides. He sighed and rubbed the part of his shoulder where my hand had been. I must have squeezed his shoulder without realizing it. A nurse came running in. She handed me a gown and though I didn't want to wear it I knew it would be better than my clothing. Adrian helped me change while Dimitri spoke to the nurse. He came back over to us.

"Roza we are going to be on our own on this. There are too many wounded children and teachers. I helped deliver a baby before so please allow me to help you."

I didn't have time to think of an answer because another contraction hit. Adrian crawled on the bed behind me. He spoke to me soothingly. Dimitri took a look to see if he could see the baby's head. There was a knock at the door and Dimitri went to answer it. I ignored everything except Adrian's voice and my breathing. I felt someone take hold of my legs and act as stirrups. When the contraction subsided I looked up and saw two of the senior girls I helped earlier.

I had a handful more of contraction before Dimitri told me to start pushing. Adrian spoke soft words of encouragement to me as he held my hands. With every contraction I pushed with all my might. This time I had no local anesthetic or episiotomy; I could feel my skin tear. I cried out for the first time.

"Ow Ow OW.!"

"Roza keep going his head is already out and his shoulder is almost out." Adrian helped me breath through the pain. I realized that the baby wasn't making any noise.

"Get the nurse or somebody!" He spoke quietly to the girls; his voice was quiet but urgent. One of the girls let my leg down and ran out the door.

"Dimitri why isn't he crying?" I was terrified.

"Roza don't worry, his airway is blocked I am trying to clear it but I need a bulb syringe do it."

I gave one more big push as soon as his shoulder cleared I could feel Dimitri gently pull him the rest of the way out.

As the nurse rushed in he told her what he needed. She went to a drawer and pulled one out. I could hear the suction and a moment later I heard my son cry for the first time. A tear rolled down Dimitri's smiling face as he held him up for me and Adrian to see. His little face was a little bluish but as he cried it became a bit red. He handed him to me.

"Hello Alexander Dimitri Belikov Ivashkov welcome to the world." I looked at Adrian who was smiling at his son.

"Alexander Dimitri Belikov Ivashkov? You are honoring me by giving him my name."

"Brother, I am the one who would be honored if you accept this." Dimitri hugged Adrian and kissed Alexander's head. Just like his older sister had done when she was born; gave a hungry cry.

Adrian chuckled as I hurried to feed my baby. "He's Dhampir like his mommy; always hungry."

"Judging by the fangs I would say he is more like his sister." I smiled at my hungry boy. The doctor came in to check in on us. She looked tired.

"Oh I see you all were busy I here." She helped Dimitri with the umbilical cord then she weighed and measured the baby she also tested his reflexes. Her nurse cleaned him up and wrapped him in a blanket. She handed him to Adrian.

"We weren't prepared for this. We brought nothing for him." I began to worry.

"Dimitri and I will head to the town." The doctor cocked her head.

"Um several large boxes arrived just before you did the other day. They were addressed to Sr. Katherine and there was a letter with it stating that your wife was very close to giving birth. The boxes contain a car seat, some newborn clothing, diapers and some other essentials."

"Yeva" the three of us said at the same time.

Dimitri left to go get Theresa so she could meet her baby brother. The senior girls came back in to congratulate us and coo over Alexander. One of them called him Xander. I turned to Adrian.

"Hey babe I like the nickname Xander much better than Alex. What do you think?"

"I like it but we should check with Dimitri and Theresa first."

It took a while for Dimitri to get back and when he did his guardian mask was firmly in place. I could feel tension and anger radiate off of him. For the moment I decided not to press him for information. Dimitri and Adrian showed Theresa her baby brother and she was happy to see him. Dimitri ended up holding her on his lap as he held the baby for her to talk to. Adrian put his hand low on my belly and I could feel his healing spirit repair my torn skin and even tighten the muscles that had been stretched to accommodate my pregnancy.

I was released and allowed to go back to our guest house. We put the baby to sleep in a Moses basket like the one that Theresa had. Theresa settled back to sleep and the three of us went to the living room to talk.

"All right Dimitri; you can take down the mask and let us in now."

"The girl who baby sat for us knew something was going to happen. She has the gift of foresight and she knew that If Theresa was there that she would be harmed. When I got back here she was in tears with worry. I had her talk with the head Guardian for questioning. While I was with the guardians I found out that those two trouble makers James and Patrick are responsible for this mess. They thought it would explode in the air and cause no real damage. Alii looked like he wanted to stake them." He shook his head.

"Those boys looked like they were more upset at getting caught than about the people they harmed. I suggested that on top of whatever other punishment they receive they be required to work in the clinic caring for the injured till the last person is discharged. Alii took them straight to the clinic." He put his head in his hands. We talked only for a few more minutes before we headed to bed.

I was exhausted. Thankfully I had showered in the clinic and changed into a maternity night shirt that Yeva had packed in the box. I slipped into the bed and fell right to sleep.

* * *

Ok so it was about time that poor Lissa finally get to dream walk. The house that she took them to is in an upscale area. I on the other hand live reality.

Were you guys surprised to find human's working in the academy?

Do you think that the make out session between Rose and Dimitri was ok or starting to go beyond the bounderies?

I was going to name the baby Marcus but I hate the name Mark so I had to think of something that had a nickname I could live with. Do you like Xander for a nickname?

How do you think the two novices should be punnished?

The next few chapters have me on an emotional Rollercoaster. I will update as soon as I can.

Suzanna


	37. Tears In Heaven

Sorry this Chapter was so short; it was a hard one to wrtite.  
I dedicate it to my Little Angel

I do not Own VA but that which is mine I freely share with you.

* * *

**Chapter 37 Tears in Heaven**

Dear Rosemarie; November 30.

I am very happy to hear that the journals I gave you have been helpful to you. I can only imagine how you must have felt when your friend found the spirit wielders journal. One journal out of context can only cause more questions than it can answer. Thank you for donating the book to our archives. I have included another flash drive with two more journals.

Thank you again for talking with James, and Patrick. I think that whatever you said to them really made a difference to them. The punishments that your husbands suggested have deterred their behavior considerably as well.

Lord Ivashkov's suggestion of "Dimitri" style training before and after classes has been taken very seriously by their mentors. It is already teaching them focus and self-discipline. I must say that when Kealiiwai and Austin were both trouble makers when they were students here. The training that they took with you and Guardian Belikov has made then take the job of teaching with a proper measure of seriousness.

Guardian Belikov's suggestion that they work in the clinic with the victims of their prank has taught them compassion. It is difficult not to see the pain they caused when they themselves have to clean ad redress the wounds.

In order to fit in their extra training and their work at the clinic they have had to give up their Elective class as well as the two hours after afternoon practice. This leaves them just enough time to eat dinner and do homework.

The boys have had to virtually no time to cause any trouble. They are on house arrest and the guardians that are watching over them tell me once they are sent to their dorms for the night; that they are too exhausted to do anything more than change for bed.

I hope that we will see you again in the spring.

Headmistress of St. Columban's Academy

Sr. Katherine Murphy

I wrote a quick response to St. Katherine and printed it. After signing it I clipped the addressed envelope and placed it in my out box. I gave a sigh to myself. My desk was cleared and I was fee to leave early for the weekend. I grabbed my purse and headed out of my office.

"Denise, I am leaving now. I left some letters in my outgoing mail and could you please file these for me." I handed her several folders.

"No problem Guardian Hathaway." She lowered her voice. "Should I stock your mini frig with Ginger Ale and water crackers?"

"Yes please but don't say anything to anyone." She smiled at me and pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key. I smiled and shook my head as I walked away.

I picked up Theresa and Xander at the day care. Essa giggled as she ran to me and jumped up I caught her and hugged her. She let me settle her down on a chair as I got the stroller out of the storage closet. I got it set up and then went to the infant room to get Xander.

"Hi Thanda" Essa kissed her brothers head. She touched his hand and he grabbed hold of her finger. "Momma Thanda is holding my hand." This brought another round of giggles. I touched base with the caregivers in both Essa's and Xander's rooms then signed them out.

"We're going to see Cousin Sasha today."

"Yea!"

I listened to Essa tell me about her day. I didn't need to ask any questions because she always gave me a running account of her day. I stifled a laugh when she told me that her teacher doesn't know how to read green eggs and ham. "She read for both of them mommy. I told her that Daddy Dimitri and Daddy Adrian don't do it like she does. Mommy I really tried to tell her but she made me sit in time out." I stopped and bent down to her level. Her brown eyes were wide with indignation.

"Theresa everyone has their own ways of doing things. She didn't read it wrong, just different. You need to be patient when people don't do things like you expect them to. Tomorrow I want you to tell her that you are sorry." Her bottom lip began to quiver and she began to blink the tears from her eyes. I almost never had to correct my daughter; most of the time she was happy, sweet and well behaved.

"Essa, you will do as I ask won't you?" My voice was firm but soft. Her head bobbed up and down. I smiled at her pulling her into an embrace. "That's my girl. So what else happened today?" She continued telling me about the rest of her day; by the time we reached Sasha's office she was smiling and happy again.

Sasha did a routine checkup on Theresa and Xander. She weighed and measured them to gage their rate of growth. Her findings were just as I had expected. Theresa was still growing at twice the rate as other children her age and Xander was doing the same. I closed my eyes and calmed myself before my emotions took over. I needed to talk so I invited Sasha out to lunch at my favorite café at court. While we waited for our food I decided to open up to Sasha.

"Sasha I am pregnant again."

"Rose it would be a bit early to know that. You just had Xander two months ago."

"Well six weeks after I had Theresa I conceived Alexander. I tried to avoid having sex when I knew I was fertile because I knew I would get knocked up again. Problem was I couldn't stop myself from attacking him when he was changing into pajamas."

"Two weeks along is still too early to even know if you are or not yet." She tried to sound reassuring.

"I threw up the next day. With both Theresa and Xander I threw up the next morning. With Theresa I thought it was just the nerves and pain of losing Dimitri, but I know now that it is my early notice. Both those times I didn't get the worst of the morning sickness till about a month in but this time I have had it since day one."

"Rose I am going to schedule an appointment for you on Monday."

"You aren't happy about this are you?"

"It's not really about being happy about the baby, I am; it's just that I want time to enjoy the two that I have. They are growing so very fast. I know that God has some kind of plan for me and that I am supposed to have a bunch of kids but I just wish it wasn't one right after the other."

"I wonder how many you are supposed to have."

"In a Dream I was visited by the last Wielder of Life and Death; her name is Bridget Donnelley and she is real. I saw her portrait at St. Columban's Academy. I also have been reading her journals. In the dream she told me that I need to bring forth all four elements, a spirit wielder and one who is like me. So I think that I am supposed to have six children in all." I put my head in my hands. "The thought of it is a little overwhelming."

Sasha was silent for a little bit. Then she coughed.

"One baby every 10 ½ months six times. Wow that's five years four months."

"I know. I conceived Theresa when I was just about to turn 18 so from my calculations I will be almost constantly pregnant till after I turn 23." Sasha reached out and held my hand. "Funny thing is that I know that they are coming and I already love them and want them. It's just that I wish that I could have the time to really enjoy each one."

"Rose maybe the reason that your children grow so fast has to do with the fact that you have to have so many so close together."

Our food arrived and as we ate Sasha changed the subject.

"I hear that you are trying to get an old kind of promise mark put on the books?" I spent the rest of our lunch explaining to her about the Hunters mark and how I thought that we should reinstate the use of Hunter Packs.

Dimitri POV

My Roza is with child again. She has been filled with so much conflicting emotions. She loves this child as much as she loves Theresa and Xander. She knows that the gift of magic comes with a price, and the greater the power of the magic; the greater the price. Elemental wielders only suffer minor discomforts that are usually easily dismissed. Spirit wielders have the darkness, depression and insanity to contend with.

Rose had a different kind of price to pay. Her price was watching her children age so fast that she often felt that she didn't even get to see it. Also because she was destined to have four to six children in quick succession she barely got a few weeks break between pregnancies. It has only been two months since she gave birth to her second child and she is already several weeks along with her third.

Adrian has allowed me to see Roza as he sees her. I slip into his mind and he will look at her. Her aura is beautiful. He has shown me the memories that he has of her from when she was still in school. She had so many shadows then. It is no wonder that she acted out so much. I regret that I had told her she was immature. It was not that she was immature; it was the way the darkness made her react. Her aura is now bright and with few shadows. Whenever she wields love she burns bright silver. As for colors she tends to be a soft pastel pallet. Her child she is carrying already radiates purples.

My brother believes that even though I was not born with an ability to wield magic that I may develop an element. He insists on trying to teach me what it feels like to use Spirit. I don't really see the point because spirit is so rare that I don't think I would develop it. However since he can't fully wield elemental magic I am hoping that I will be able to apply the same principals to whatever I develop; if I develop the ability to wield magic at all He has had me slip into his mind and then taken me with him on a dream walk picnic with Roza. He has also shown me how to make plants grow.

I have to admit that I would love to develop spirit. Joy that he feels when he uses it is absolutely beautiful. I would never have imagined the beauty of his heart. Roza told me what it was like to feel Lissa heal Viktor Dashkov; the images, music and emotions that she experienced left her in awe of her best friend. I have been in his head when he healed my bite from Roza's neck; his love for her is so amazing.

There are other things that my brother is insisting I learn. I am learning how to choose and buy stocks. He is showing me all the little things he does for Roza. One might think that he was trying to make me feel inadequate; however that is not the case. He still believes that he will have to leave us. I have tried to assure him that I will not allow anything bad to happen to him. He insists that it would make him feel better to know that should anything happen that I know how to take care of those things.

I am amazed at all the little things he does for her. He is the reason her skin is still so beautiful and her hands are soft despite all the training she does. He provides her with high quality skin care products and if she is too tired to apply them; then he will do it for her. When she travels he does the planning and often the packing too. When he knows that Rose has a busy day at work we will go to the day care at court and pick Xander up and bring him to Rose for nursing. He did this with Theresa as well when she was younger. Rose tends not to let her needs take priority so he takes it upon himself to make sure she takes care of herself too.

I am very grateful to my brother because he has been a very good and caring husband to Roza. In some ways I feel like he has taught me to be a better husband than I would have been in the first place. From what Yeva has told me about our real grandfather, Nathanial Cervantes, he was a very kind, loving and thoughtful man. I believe that Adrian must have inherited the kind heart of our grandfather.

Now that Rose and Lissa are planning Lissa's wedding and her Coronation we have taken on more of her day to day responsibilities. I have noticed that it is beginning to take a toll on him. I am beginning to worry about him because he has been very tired lately and it is not like him to tire easily. He has also begun to visit the feeder more often than he used to. I have begun to take over the task of going to take Xander to Roza for nursing during her busy days. I am also Adrian won't let me tell Roza about any of this. I have tried to convince him that she should know but he is just as stubborn as our wife is.

Rose POV

_I was sleeping comfortably when I felt a sudden pain rip through my gut. I sat up in a fetal position rocking back and forth trying to breathe through the pain. I felt more pain and wetness between my legs. I begin to cry and scream with pain and fear. Christian's arms wrap around me and he tries to comfort me._

I bolted out of bed and reached for my robe. Adrian woke the moment I tore myself out of his arms.

"Call Sasha, tell her we have an emergency!" I shouted as I pulled my robe over my bare body and ran down the stairs.

I ran into Lissa's room without even knocking. Lissa was still in a fetal position. Chris was trying to find out what was wrong. He must have thought she was having another nightmare. I turned on the light on her nightstand. I touched her sending her healing as I pulled back the blanket from her. As I feared she was bleeding. Chris gasped and nearly fainted. I punched his arm to make him stay conscience.

"Get Adrian and Arianna; tell them we need to heal Lissa." I continued to send her healing while I spoke soothingly to her. Lissa was just crying and rocking back and forth but though the bond she was murmuring_. _

"_This can't be happening. I can't lose my baby. Why. Why. Why. No; this isn't real. This isn't happening for real."_

Adrian came in and Chris followed with Arianna. He went to Lissa and put his hand over her belly from Christian's side of the bed I took Arianna's hand and showed her where to channel her healing spirit. I heard an ambulance in the distance. The sirens grew closer and soon Dimitri was escorting several paramedics into the room. He led Arianna back to her room telling her that we had to let the medics do their job. He had her out of the room before the medics took the blanket away revealing the amount of blood that soaked the bed under her. Sasha arrived not less than a minute later.

Lissa was taken via ambulance to Human hospital that had many Moroi doctors in fellowship. Sasha and Chris road in the ambulance and Adrian Dimitri and I followed in our car. I hope that our healings worked. I know how much Lissa has wanted this baby. She never said it but since I was still carrying Theresa she has wanted to have a baby. This child would have been just a few weeks younger in age to the one I am now carrying. The only family members to know that she was pregnant were Chris, me and my husbands. She has been longing to see her children and mine grow up; and be best friends like she and I are. I can't help but feel guilty because I am relieved that it's not me in that ambulance.

Sasha told me it was best and my baby if I not go in the room with Lissa and she advised me not to listen in through the bond. I sat in the waiting room being held by both Adrian and Dimitri. I tried to keep my walls up but her feelings were so powerful. I knew even before Chris came out with puffy red eyes that Lissa had lost her baby despite our healing efforts.

Lissa stayed the night in the hospital I refused to leave her side. We didn't talk but I could feel that she was glad that I was there. Adrian had a new mattress replace her old one and offered to have the whole bedroom set replaced as well. Dimitri brought Xander for me to feed and he stayed with Lissa for me while I spent some time with my baby.

Back at home Lissa and I just lay together on her bed. Her feelings were all over the place as were mine. We were so raw that we could not put up any walls so we both knew everything that the other was feeling. It was hard on both of us but at the same time I think it was healthy that there were no secrets between us. She was feeling guilty for wishing it wasn't her who lost her baby and I felt guilty for being glad that it wasn't me. I know that she doesn't really wish it was me who was going through this first hand.

I wish I could take this pain from her. I thought about my desire to take her pain and I realized that if I could I would switch places with her if I could. I already have two beautiful children. I would be devastated by losing my baby but no more than she is now.

"Rose, no don't dare think that way. I love you for wishing you could take this from me but I could never wish this pain on you." I began to cry.

"I failed you. I am your Guardian. I didn't get to you fast enough. If I had gotten to you sooner maybe I could have healed it before it was too late. I failed."

"You didn't fail me. You knew what was happening before I did. You got here before Christian could even get out of bed."

"I failed to save your baby. I am supposed to be the wielder of Life and Death. I saved a stupid cat but I couldn't save my niece or nephew." She held me and cried with me. Adrian was in the doorway and he walked into the room.

"Lil' Dhampir, sometimes we can't stop the bad things from happening. You know that better than anyone I know. Sometimes the things that die are supposed to die; spirit cannot and should not heal everything."

Lissa and I held a private memorial service for her baby at the court Chapel. I know that only a handful of us even knew that she was carrying but it felt important to acknowledge the baby's short existence. The moment that a mother even suspects that she is pregnant she loves the child that she thought she might be carrying. I knew that was how Lissa felt and that is how I have always felt. For me it was important to give Lissa a chance to properly say good bye to her baby.

I know Lissa wanted to hide away but unfortunately we had other things to deal with. It was already a few days before Christmas; Lissa and Christian's wedding date was New Years Eve. Her coronation is set for January 15th.

* * *

The End of this chapter is very personal to me because when I was 29 I lost a baby too. The cercomstances were not ideal but I loved my baby anyway and I planned on keeping it. I had not even gotten to tell anyone that I was going to have a baby before I lost it. I chose not to tell anyone for many years. I wanted to share my story through Lissa because I know that this kind of thing happens and I want others out there to know that someone understands what they are going through.

Ok here is the Quiz.

This is the first time that Rose has told anyone that she suspects that she will have Six Children. Why do you think it might be important that she have so many? Do you think that you have figured out their Mission?

Adrian is really working hard to teach Dimitri how to use spirit even though right now Dimitri hasn't even developed any Magic. Why do you think he is doing this?

What do you think about the things Adrian told Rose after Lissa lost her baby?

Please Review and share your answers with me.

Suzanna


	38. White Roses and Crowns

Hey there Sorry I took so long to post but I had to hang with family this week

I do not own VA but that which is mine I freely share with you.

* * *

**Chapter 38: White Roses and Crowns.**

Adrian POV

I woke early on December 24th. Rose was sleeping peacefully in my arms. I put my walls up to block my brother from my thoughts. I need to be alone in my head right now. I look at My Lil' Dhampir as she sleeps so peacefully beside me. My heart begins to ache because I feel that it is not going to be much longer till I have to leave her. She has brought so much meaning to my life. Without her I would have been incomplete.

The thought of leaving my family hurts me so much but I know that they will be in good hands. Dimitri is a very loving and caring man. He is patient with all the children and he loves my children as his own. There is no doubt in my mind that he will protect and aid Rose through her journey.

I held her close to me and I could feel her bare baby bump against my own stomach. My child was so close to me and yet so far. I wonder if I will be here to hold it once it is born. I think of all the things I am going to miss. I wonder if Essa will remember me. Xander is so little still that I cannot even begin to hope he will remember his Daddy Adrian. I think about my son; he looks so much like his mommy. He has my deep green eyes but he has Rose's eye shape and ears. I wonder who this child will look like. We haven't even thought of names yet.

Rose sighed and I held her even closer. Her breathing changed and I know she is waking up.

"Good morning, my Lil' Dhampir." I kissed her forehead.

"Mmm, good morning, my Angel." This was a nick name she has used for me only when we are in private and she is feeling intimate. I never asked her why she chose that for me but suddenly I wanted to understand.

"Why do you call me Angel? With my past most people would say I am anything but an angel."She smiled at me sweetly.

"Don't you know you have always been my guardian angel; even since we first met? When I was in Spokane you tried to come to me in a dream to find out where I was. All those times that I was sad because I couldn't be with Dimitri, you were a friend who I could talk to.  
When I needed the money to go find him I turned to you because I knew I could. You came to my dreams when I was in Russia. I was so rude to you but you still came. You don't know this but when you told me you were worried about Lissa that gave me the incentive to pull myself out of the endorphin haze I was in. I would never have escaped if it had not been for that.  
You helped me through my grief. You were my Essa's father before I even knew I was a mother. Then you helped me give her back her father. You are my living Guardian Angel."

She kissed me softly a first but then her breathing began to quicken and I could feel her magic begin to flow into me. Any time Rose expressed her love for someone whether through nurturing or lovemaking; she would wield life. This was the nurturing healing side to her magic. Without knowing it she was like a medication to me. She has been counteracting my illness with her love; but I can tell that my illness is still overtaking me slowly.

She explored my body with her soft hands; I do the same. The curve of her back and firmness of her bottom still excite me even though I know her body so well I could sculpt it in clay blindfolded. She moves above me and I guide her in place. She emits a soft moan. Her hair gently brushes against my face as she moves over me. I love how her silky skin feels against me. She leans down to kiss me I open my mouth and she deepens our kiss still moving over me. Her full breasts graze my chest.

Our lovemaking was slow and tender. It was not driven by our need to give each other pleasure; instead it was driven by the need to be one. After making love she lay next to me with her head on my chest listening to my heart. I lay back feeling the complete joy of being her husband. I traced circles in her back as we fell back asleep for a while.

Dimitri POV

Rose and I drove in silence to the Lehigh valley airport in Allentown. The main reason we were quiet was because I was trying to block the ghosts that started to bombard me the moment we left the wards. I have gotten better at this since the first time I saw the ghosts but it still takes a lot of concentration. The first few flights we took when we were traveling to the academies Adrian had to compel me to sleep just so I wouldn't have to deal with the headache. Lissa and Roza have been helping me learn some control by taking me beyond the wards to practice.

After I felt that I had gained as much control as I would get I decided to take the time to talk to Rose about Adrian.

"Roza, I have been worried about Adrian. He has been getting very tired lately."

"I've noticed it too. When I have asked him he just says it's nothing." There was a little frown on her face.

"You know how automatically you wield life during intimate moments. I was thinking that perhaps you can add a little bit more to it."

"I can do that. Through the bond, can you tell if it helps him?"

"It does."

The plane arrived right on time. I was really excited to see my family. They were coming for Lissa's wedding and staying for her coronation later in the month. Paul is excited over the idea of riding horses that are not afraid of him. I am just getting over my fear of them myself but for him I will be brave. I am still amazed at how friendly that they are with Dhampirs. It is amaising what Rose has been able to do with her gifts.

Suddenly I spot them. Surprisingly Rose makes a beeline to Yeva. I can tell that Roza is scolding Yeva and Yeva smiled at her indulgently. Momma who had been not a foot away from them shook her head as she walked up to me; I could hear her chuckling.

"What is Roza scolding Yeva about?"

"Predicting she would have so many children in close succession." I looked over at them and now Yeva was leaning over talking to Roza's belly. Roza had a slightly irritated smile on her face.

"She is happy about the baby; it is just that it is difficult that she gets no rest between them. They are growing so quickly."

"I can understand that."

I looked over at my sisters who were huddled around Rose.

"I told them to distract her so we could talk." I looked at her serious expression. "How is your brother?"

"Not good. He is more certain that he is going to die. I am really beginning to worry about his health. It is almost unperceivable but he is weakening. I can protect him from physical danger but I cannot fight his own body. He still refuses to tell Roza about the readings with Rhonda. He won't tell me everything ether. I can tell that there are some things he is still holding back from me. He wouldn't have told me as much as he did if not for the fact that I guessed it."

"Yeva said that it is not time for Rose to know but that it is coming soon. I am sure that he will tell you both everything then. I know you love your brother as much as you do your sisters that you grew up with. You want to save him with everything in you." She hesitated a moment and I could hear the But coming. "But maybe this is what is supposed to happen. You yourself told me that he believes it is necessary."

"Momma, I can't sit idle and let my brother die. What do you think it will do to our family? His children are so young to lose their father. Roza has lost so much already; Lissa's family was like her own, Mason, Me and even the child that Lissa just lost was like losing her own. How can we let her lose her husband?"

"I didn't say that you shouldn't fight for your brother. Yes his children are young but they have you, Roza and the rest of the family. I am sure that you will not let Adrian's memory fade. Rose has lost a lot but she got you back and it will be up to you to help her through this. You are the husband of her heart."

"I love her enough that I would rather continue in this odd kind of marriage with Rose and Adrian than have her all to myself. Is many ways Adrian has been better to her than I have. Instead of loving her as I should have; I pushed her away for so long. There are so many cruel things I said to keep her from getting too close. Perhaps I could have found a way to love her and still protect her career. Adrian never worried about the risks. He only worried about her."

"You both did what you did out of love for her; you just took different paths." Rose ran up to us interrupting any farther conversation. Her expression was irate.

"Comrade I am going to kill your sisters if they don't back off. First they teased me by suggesting I get my own bedroom. Then they spent the last five minutes barraging me with baby name suggestions." Perhaps my sisters went a bit too far. Unfortunately I couldn't help but tease her just a bit more. She looked so cute when she was mad.

"Did they give you any good ideas?" I smiled at her while raising my eyebrow. Oops big mistake. Her eyes grew wide with indignation. She emitted a low growl then she turned on her heal and stormed off to the parking structure while giving me a very rude hand gesture.

"Pregnancy is a bitch."

We all turned to look at Yeva. Yeva just shrugged and headed off in the same direction as Rose.

Christian's POV

I have waited for this day since I first met Lissa. I looked at myself in the mirror wondering how the hell I have gotten so lucky in my life. I have never met anyone quite as giving as Lissa is. When I met her I was for all intense purposes invisible. The only person in the world who cared about me was my aunt. Everyone else did their best to ignore me. Even my teachers ignored me. Lissa wasn't afraid of me in the least. She and I had an instant connection.

Because of Lissa I have other friends in my life. If not for her I would never have had the confidence to fight alongside Rose during the attack on the school. Fighting with her like I did is what has given my aunt and me a foothold back into Moroi society.

Dimitri tapped me on my shoulder. In the mirror I could see he had a boutonniere in his hand; his expression was sympathetic. I turned with a sigh and let him put it on my left lapel. It was a single white rose bud with baby's breath flowers around it. Lissa was going to wear one on her dress too. Lissa and I were still mourning the child we lost a few weeks ago. Rose knew that Lissa was feeling weird about celebrating when her baby was gone. So she suggested that we do something to honor our baby, Lissa and Rose came up with the boutonnieres together.

"It's time go to the altar." Dimitri was now smiling with happiness.

"Hope you're ready, the ladies are waiting for us to get down there." I almost ran up the basement steps two at a time. I stepped outside and was amazed at the setting. Lissa had wanted a garden wedding in the middle of winter. There were torches lining the outside of each row as well as along the isle. An enormous red carpet covered the entire area and leading up to the gazebo which was to be the altar for today. Red Roses were growing everywhere despite the snow we had last night. There was no moon tonight and the stars were out in abundance. The string quartet was playing some sweet melody.

Father Evans and I took our places on the altar. Next Dimitri walked up the aisle with a smile plastered on his guardian mask; Aunt Tasha was on his arm with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face. I felt really bad for him because I know that she has basically ruined her friendship with him by trying to get him away from Rose. He gently unwrapped her from his arm and guided her to her place before taking his place on the groom's side. Next came Mia and Eddie, they really make a good couple. Arianna and Isabela both walked together; each carrying a small pillow with our rings. Adrian escorted Theresa down the aisle as she left her trail of petals. He guided her next to Tasha and the girls before taking his place next to me.

The music changed and Lissa began her march. Rose walked next to her but I almost didn't even notice her. My eyes locked on Lissa. She looked like and angel in her white dress. She wore a white fur stole and tiara that Tatiana had given her. Rose brought her to me and placed Lissa's hand in mine. She kissed Lissa's cheek then took her place as maid of honor.

I held Lissa's hands and looked into her eyes the entire ceremony. I smiled when I heard Father Evans ask who gives this woman to this man and Rose said

"She is my bondmate and my sister; I give her to this man."

I am not sure how I even managed to say my vows in the right time because all I could think was the fact that I was the luckiest man alive. Next thing I knew I was kissing my wife while everyone clapped.

Rice fell on us as we ran to the tent for our reception.

**~*~xXx~*~**

Rose POV

Lissa' plane was overdue to arrive because of bad weather. I stood against the SUV thinking over all the safety measures we had taken. There wasn't much left for me to do but I fretted over everything anyway. The Court Guardians were technically in charge of security for the coronation but as Lissa's lead guardian I got to oversee everything. Thankfully Lissa and Tatiana had planned every detail of the ceremony so I didn't have to deal with any of that. Tatiana was taking care of everything in Lissa's absence.

The plane came into view and through the earpiece I heard the other guardians say that it was indeed Princess Vasilisa and Christian Ozera Dragomir. Chris had taken Lissa's last name because she is the last Dragomir. When the plane was finally parked I took two heavy parkas out of the warm SUV. I ran up the ramp and opened the hatch. On the other side were Eddie and one of the courts Guardians. I rushed past them to Liss and pyro; I couldn't help myself I took both of them in a hug. I really missed them. During the last two weeks I had kept my walls up as much as I could while still feeling that she was safe. I didn't visit with her at all so that I could give her privacy. This was one of my wedding gifts to her.

I handed them the warm coats and insisted they put them on before we exited the plane. Eddie, Janine and four other court guardians exited first. I came out next and looking around for any new threats. Eddie signaled me all clear so I let them disembark. We rushed through the lightly falling snow to the cars. Mom was already behind the wheel waiting for us. I sat in the front passenger seat. In the far back were two of her new court guardians and Eddie. Lissa and Chris took the center seat. I could feel the happiness and love radiating from both of them. Through the bond Lissa said. _"Thank you for the privacy. We really used it wisely." _I glanced back and saw them snuggled up to each other with there eyes closed.

We drove them directly to the Royal Mansion were Tatiana lived. This is where they were to get ready for the coronation ceremony. If Lissa and Chris decided to move to Court then this would be their home. I would either have to move here to live with her or step down as her guardian; instead Lissa chose that she would rather live at the House on Cherry Hill with me as part of my family then move to court. Tatiana herself had lived at the House on Cherry Hill during the first few years of her Reign. It was only a ten minute drive in good driving conditions and there was a helicopter that could be used in times of emergency.

"Princess I was worried that you would miss your own coronation, Thank goodness the snow eased up." Tatiana hugged Lissa and Pyro as she greeted them. Adrian and Dimitri came up to welcome them home and then they stood on either side of me with an arm wrapped around me.

My odd marriage had become somewhat common knowledge around court and it was not odd for me to have my husbands both wrap an arm around me; or greet me with affection. This did cause a bit of a stir sometimes but I ignored it. My personal feeling was that this is my life, my strange marriage, I didn't do anything wrong so everyone else could just deal with it. I had Lissa's support and the love of my family so nothing else mattered.

At first I was bothered by the speculation that I was sexually intimate with both of them. I had gotten asked by the female guardians and occasional nosy royal. I know that Adrian and Dimitri were also asked. We would simply say that it was none of anyone's business.

I hung out with Lissa as she got ready. There really wasn't anything for me to do since she had a makeup artist and hair stylist waiting to primp her up. Lilly had made her the most beautiful dress. It was a full length ball gown in a deep jade color. The way the dress was cut made her look a little curvy without being too sexy. The stylist put half of her hair up in bun with soft curls pinned to it. The rest of her hair was down cascading in soft curls down her back.

I changed into my formal black and whites. Mine was of course maternity but I am used to maternity clothes by now. I was about redo my hair since the bun I had put it in this morning was all messed up by the hood of my parka. The hair stylist who was now done with Lissa brought her equipment over to me and took over. I went ahead and let her work. She gave me a soft twist with some strands of hair artfully left out giving me a very feminine look for a guardian.

"I don't think I have ever seen so many Molnija marks on a Guardian before let alone a female guardian."

"I will take that as a compliment."

"Good because it may not have come out right but it was meant to be a compliment."

I did my own makeup since I didn't want to be too glamed up. When I was done I helped Lissa put on the jewelry that Tatiana had given her for the occasion. She was also to wear the Tiara that was given to her for her wedding. Just like I did for her wedding I got the privilege of placing it on her head. It fit perfectly around her hair. I could feel her nervousness as she looked at the clock and realized that we would be heading downstairs any minute.

"Lissa you are going to be a wonderful Queen. You are ready for this I know you are." I hugged her and sent her some of my healing love to calm her. _"Thank you."_ She whispered though our bond. I put the last part of my outfit on; a pair of white cotton gloves. Only I and Tatiana's lead Guardian would wear gloves because we would be participants in the ceremony. Taking her hand I led her downstairs where we would meet up with the others. The queen was dressed in a deep emerald green gown she wore a sash that had the Ivashkov crest embroidered on it. On her head she wore a crown that held a diamond in the center and around the crown were twelve stones each one representing the color of each of the twelve royal families. I never realized before but the color of the family color correlated with the dominant eye color of each royal family. But what I noticed most was Dimitri.

"Dimitri, you're in official black and whites!" Up till now he had not been an accepted as an official guardian. He gave me a huge smile and turned for me to see.

"Guess they have decided that after eleven months and I have not spontaneously gone Strigoi I am safe to return to Guardianship." I suddenly got a knot in my stomach.

"Who is your charge? Will they make you leave me?" My voice was a whisper. Adrian put his arm around me. With a quiet solemn voice he said.

"I heard that he was assigned to some spoiled rich royal and his family."

"Oh Dimitri I don't want you to leave. I know that being a Guardian is what you were born to do but I can't stand the thought of losing you when it still feels like we just got you back."

"Well it's a good thing that Adrian admits he is a spoiled rich royal; because I have been officially assigned to Guard him and his family." I grabbed them both in an embrace.

Lissa was so nervous at during the ride to the great hall that we all remained silent the whole way. Once we got to the grand hall Adrian, went to sit with the rest of Lissa's guests. Dimitri went and took his place along the walls with the rest of the Guardians. Eddie and Mom stayed behind with Lissa and me. The Queen and her Guardians entered into the Great hall from a corridor that led to the other end of the Hall were Her thrown was. We could hear and see what was happening on a video feed that was being televised via closed circuit satellite all around the world. Lissa gave a groan at the monitor. The Queen gave a speech about how all things much come to a conclusion to make way for the new. She spoke of innovation and moving forward into a better future. The Audience clapped for her. She turned and stood before her throne; gracefully she sat. Her lead Guardian handed her the Royal Scepter. In a clear voice she called

"I call my chosen successor, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir. May her Reign herald a peaceful future!"

This was our cue. The doors opened; Lissa and I walked up the aisle with Mom and Eddie following two steps behind us. We stopped at the bottom most steps before her throne.

"Princess Vasilisa Do you accept the responsibility to care for the wellbeing of the Moroi and the Dhampirs?"

"Yes Your Majesty, I will."

"Do you promise to be fair and just?"

"Yes your Majesty, I do."

"Do you promise to protect the spirit of our culture while helping us adapt to our changing world."

"Yes your Majesty, I will."

"Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, I ask you to take my place as the monarch of my people."

"I Princess Vasilisa Dragomir will accept and take the position as monarch. May your people from this moment on, be my people."

"Come forth" Lissa and I both ascended the last four steps up to the throne. Eddie and Janine took post at either side of the stage alongside two of Tatiana's personal Guard. Tatiana stood and Lissa turned so that she stood beside her. Once they were side by side they both knelt down facing the audience. Tatiana turned at her waist and offered out her scepter. Her lead Guardian Stephan, stepped forward and took it respectfully with two white gloved hands. He stepped towards me; likewise I stepped forward to meet him. With my own gloved hands I took the scepter when he offered it to me. In sync with me we turned on our heels and walked back to our original positions. I then offered the scepter to Lissa

"I give you the authority to rule over the Moroi and Dhampir."

"I accept this authority with humility and I pray that I will be found worthy of it."

Lissa's daughters came forward each holding a blood red pillow they ascended the steps and stood before Stephan and I. He gently took the crown from Tatiana's head and placed it on the pillow that Arianna held. I then gently took the tiara from Lissa's head and placed it on the pillow in Isabela's hands. The girls turned and walked across to stand before the opposite Guardian. I took the Crown form the pillow and placed it on Lissa's head.

"Vasilisa Dragomir, I Crown you Queen of the Moroi and Dhampir. May you're Reign be long and just."

Lissa rose and I knelt down.

"I pledge to you Queen Vasilisa to serve you as your Guardian I will protect you and your people to the best of my ability."

"Please Rise Guardian Hathaway and take your post."

I stood and walked to my post behind the throne. Lissa then took the tiara from Isabela and placed it on Tatiana's head.

"Princess Tatiana we thank you for your service and we pray that our Reign will be worthy of your praise." With that Tatiana rose and descended the steps, her Guardians following behind her. She exited the same door that Lissa had come in from. A few moments later I saw her sneak back into the room and sit with the audience with a look of pride on her face. She had changed and taken off the tiara.

The prince or princess of each Royal family gave a speech welcoming Lissa and wishing her well. Arianna being the oldest Dragomir gave the speech for her family. She is a very good speaker for a nine year old. She did not make any mistakes but at the end of it she did use some levity that made every one laugh.

"Way to go mom!"

The laughter was light but I could tell that people appreciated it. The ceremony ended and everyone stood. When Lissa stood and began to descend the steps everyone in the room except for her Personal Guardians knelt down till she made her exit. She stopped in front of Christian who had been given a special seat close to the stage. She gently touched his shoulder he rose and took her arm walking with her.

We went directly to the Reception hall and waited till we got the signal to make our entrance. Once the signal was given the doors opened for us and I led the way fully alert and ready. Lissa and Christian followed taking the time to greet her well wishers. The rest of her Guard took position around her.

Once she had greeted everyone she and Christian took their place with the girls at the Queen's table. Tatiana joined the table with Adrian and my family. Nathan looked at her from the Ivashkov table with disbelief. Daniella Adrian's mother who preferred to keep her distance from Nathan also sat with my family.

All of Lissa's Guardians stood behind her against the wall. Mid way through the dinner I looked over at Dimitri who was standing behind Adrian looking at him intently. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but I could not leave my post. _"Lissa, something is bothering Dimitri, can you send someone to see what is wrong?" "Sure."_ She made a gesture and a Moroi woman in a server's uniform came up to her. Lissa whispered to her and the woman went directly to Dimitri. They spoke for a minute then she came back to Lissa. I listened through the bond.

"Guardian Belikov would like to have a private word with Guardian Hathaway and his charge Lord Ivashkov."

"Thank You_" "Rose by the look in Dimitri's face it is important so go but tell Janine and Eddie why you are going." _I stepped out from the wall and told my fellow guardians that I had to speak with my husbands for a moment.

Lissa continued to eat her dinner pretending that nothing was going on but; I could feel her concern through the bond.

Dimitri broke from his place along the wall and went over to Adrian who was beginning to look ashen. Adrian tried to wave him away but when he saw me he gave in and went with us. There were several smaller multipurpose rooms in this building and Dimitri led us to one.

"Rose Adrian needs blood desperately; I can feel it, the feeders are too far away." I understood what Dimitri was telling me to do. I stood in front of Adrian and tilted my head.

"No Rose this is not part of our deal."

"It is now."

"Brother Rose is right." I took Adrian's head and guided him to my neck. Hunger overtook him and he gave in. Adrian's bite was tender but eager as well. I sent him healing love as he fed. When he was done feeding his color looked normal but I could see that he was tired.

"Dimitri, take him home please. Adrian, get some rest. I will be home as soon as I can." I walked them out to one of the waiting limo's on my way back I contacted Lissa

"_Liss Adrian is not well I had to feed him. Can you heal me before I go back in?"_ Before I even heard her reply I felt the joy that spirit gave her along with the healing sensations.

"_I hope he feels better after some rest." _

"_Thank you Liss. I'll be back in a sec, I just need to make sure that the blood is cleaned up."_

After a visit to the lady's room I returned to my post behind Lissa. I could feel that she wanted to leave as soon as possible but she had to stay because she was the guest of Honor. An hour and a half later she felt it was safe to excuse her self so that she could take her children to bed. We took the limo to the Royal mansion and from there took my Durango back home.

At home I checked in on my children and Adrian before knocking on Dimitri's door.

"Come in Rosa." I opened the door to find him in bed with a western novel.

"I am worried about Adrian. He is getting tired much too easily. Every time I suggest he see Sasha he brushes it off as nothing but this is something." He gave me a look that told me he know just how serious it was.

"You have an appointment with Sasha for you and the kids tomorrow. We usually go with you anyway. Maybe you should suggest to Sasha that we should have an exam to."

"Good Idea Comrade. Hey I left before they gave the guardians buffet, do you want to join me in the kitchen."

"Roza you really should not hold off on meals you know that." He was already putting on his robe. Once in the kitchen he made me a fresh fruit salad and a black bread toast with a large glass of milk.

* * *

No quiz today mostly because it is already 4 30 monday morning and I need some sleep before I teach my class tomorrow. I will be lucky if I don't get tied with jump rope and masking tape tomorrow. LOL 3-4 year olds can be brutal.

Please Please review. I will need the pick me up after the day I will have.


	39. Shadow of the Day

I am so sorry that it has been a week since I last posted. this has been a difficult chapter to write. Also I have has to take time out of my writing to live in the real world instead of the one in my head. Friday was a sad day for me because I had to say good bye to two of my kids. one of them I have known since he was about 6 months old. I taught his older sister and brother. I will miss my David headed mavid will all my heart. Also one of my friends told me that his extended visit to his family in Kentucky has been changed to a move home. I am very sad to have Matt go but I can honestly say that I have been BLESSED to know him.

I want to thank Angel words and penny pie for suggesting people read my story. for VA lovers Penny pie wrote He is yours? for Twilight lovers, Team Jacob angel words wrote Bella's back but will who's kid?

Ok enough babbling I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

* * *

**Chapter 39 The Shadow's of the Day.**

Dimitri and Adrian both sat in the front while I sat in the center with Essa and Xander. My giggle girl was singing along with the kids bob CD that Dimitri put on for her. Her favorite song was One Time, and she was singing it at the top of her lungs. Xander was watching her and smiling. He liked to hear her sing; we all did. She has a good voice for a kid.

When we got to Sasha's office she first did her routine exam on the kids see how much they have grown. Through the corner of my eye I saw her looking at Adrian. When she finished with Theresa and Xander her nurse took them to the other room; presumably for my appointment.

"Cousin, pardon me for being rude but you really look like crap lately, I noticed it last night at the coronation dinner."

"It's nothing Cousin."

"I insist on examining you." She started to guide him to the table but he pulled out of her grasp.

"I said that it is nothing. Drop it." He said defensively.

Dimitri gave a low growl and took a step towards Adrian. Adrian has gotten too comfortable with Dimitri's sweet fatherly side and forgotten that he is the Badass Guardian. His eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Sit on the damn table and let her examine you." Dimitri continued to walk towards Adrian who in turn backed into the table. Dimitri easily lifted him up and sat him down like a kid. Once Adrian was on the table Sasha rushed up and began to look into his eyes with the scope thingy. She also checked his ears and throat. She tested his reflexes and took a blood sample. Then she began to ask him questions about his symptoms. Before he could say anything Dimitri and I started in.

"He has been getting tired and taking a lot of naps over the last two months." I said

"It has been a month and a half since he started to lose energy and tire quickly. Also he has the need to visit the feeder with a greater frequency."

"He has started to crave more meat in his diet."

"He has not had the energy to play with our children as much as he usually does. Theresa has noticed it too."

Adrian sat at on the table with a defeated look. He took a breath and spoke to Sasha

"It has gotten worse but I have slowly been losing energy for about 3 months. At first it was only sporadically but now it is daily. Frequent visits to the feeders helps; but only a little." He then turned to us. "Guess you guys don't miss much do you. "

"We love you too much not to notice." I cupped his face in my hand and he leaned into the caress. "We never used to have secrets between us. I have been waiting and praying that you would let me in and tell me what has been bothering you."

A tear rolled down his cheek. He reached out to touch my face; wiping tears from my cheeks.

"Cousin Sasha, please run the blood tests as soon as possible. I will submit to any others you want me to but right now I need to talk with my wife and my bondmate."

"I will watch the kids for you." She looked worried.

"I need to feed Xander before I go anywhere." He nodded and kissed me before he got down from the table.

"I will be back in 15 minutes."

He held Dimitri's gaze for a moment while they communicated through the bond. Dimitri gave a small nod before Adrian left the room. Sasha brought Xander in and I settled on the exam table to feed my son. It wasn't quite time for his next nursing but I had a feeling that I would be busy for a long time. Dimitri stood doing the watching without seeing thing that we guardians do.

"Everything is going to change; I can feel it in my soul." When I said this, Dimitri looked at me with sympathy. I looked down at my son, Adrian's son. "I will heal your daddy; I promise I will keep him healthy."

"Dimitri, where did he go?"

"He feels that the best way to explain to us is to show us. He is renting a room in the guest accommodations so that he can dream walk with us. He also needs to go to the feeders. I am watching out for him and he is ok right now."

"Dimitri, last night when he …?" I looked back at Xander rather than look at Dimitri and let my thought trail off.

I had trouble articulating to him my question. Feeding Dimitri had been our special way of making love, for me it is as intimate and special as the physical relationship that I have with Adrian. Last night when I fed Adrian it was out of necessity. I sent him healing love and in that was the love that I feel for him Passionate love as well as all other kinds I feel for him. By sharing my love with him in this form; part of me felt as if I had violated the bond that I have with Dimitri. Yet at the same time I know that if it had really helped him I would continue to do it.

Dimitri stepped over to me and with a gentle hand on my chin he brought my eyes up to look at him. He brushed my lips softly. Then kissed my forehead before pulling back to look at me.

"I know what you are thinking Roza, what happened last night took nothing away from what we have. The love you gave him during the feeding was the natural love that you feel for him. The healing love helped him but no more than you do when making love. For him you blood had no greater physical effect on him than Alice's. There was however an emotional responds that I am sure you would agree was only natural as well."

I nodded. He reached over and caressed Xander's soft hair. We sat together lost in thought while my son nursed. By the time Adrian came back I was burping the baby. He reached out and I handed him his boy. He finished burping him and rocked him to sleep. When Sasha came back for Xander he asked me if we could do the ultra sound first. Part of me almost felt that it was inappropriate to do this today but I agreed knowing that we had all been looking forward to seeing the baby.

"Sasha, do you have time to get my exam out of the way? We were all a bit excited to see the baby."

"Yeah no problem you guys are my last appointment today."

I lay down and pulled up my shirt.

"How has the morning sickness been?"

"Uhk. Still going full force. "

"I thought so I noticed you got a bit green a few times at dinner last night. I understand that was a special occasion; but I want you to stay away from guarding at Royal Dinners till you get over the morning sickness."

"I've noticed that my bump has gotten big fast."

She squeezed gel on my bump and placed the probe right in the middle of it. The sound of the heart beat filled the room but something sounded off about it.

"Uh well Rose there is a reason for that." I looked at the monitor. There were two small shapes floating in the middle of two dark ovals. My hand fluttered to my belly and I caressed it.

"I knew it." I looked over at Adrian who was smiling triumphantly.

"You knew that there are two in there and you said nothing to me?"

"I wasn't sure about it and I wanted to see the look on your face when you saw them."

It took a while but eventually Sasha told us that we have a boy and a girl. Bittersweet tears rand down my face. I was happy to see the babies. Dimitri held my hand as he looked at the monitor. He gave me his gorgeous half smile. There were tears in his eyes too.

"I am proud of you Roza. Adrian I can't believe we are going to have twins." He hugged his bother. We finished with my exam with blood work and refill of my prenatal vitamins.

"Rose, One more thing; I wish I didn't have to tell you this but well…. No Bedroom Battles till after you give birth. The dream walking is ok till your last trimester; but once you hit six months I want that to stop too. Twins tend to try to be born early and since your first one was 2 weeks early and the second was 3 weeks I think we should be really carful."

I gave Adrian a look of devastation. He laughed at me and gave me a chase kiss on the cheek.

"We'll survive Rose."

We still had our little dream walk confession to deal with and I was nervous. Adrian and Dimitri both held my hands and we walked to the guest accommodations in silence. Adrian led the way to the room and opened it. This room was very different than the Suite we had rented the first time he brought me here. I had an ultra sound that day too.

The Room was very simple just one room and a bathroom. The bed was the only real sign of luxury. It was a huge California king sized bed. He crossed to the bed, slipped off his shoes and crawled to the middle. He gestured to Dimitri and me to take a spot on either side of him. It felt very awkward to be getting into bed with my husbands. It reminded me of the time I woke up after having wielded death the first time and they were both at my sides. Nonetheless I did as he asked. I slipped off my shoes and lay down beside him. Dimitri did the same. He looked just as uncomfortable as I did.

Adrian leaned to me and looking me in the eye he said.

"Sleep my little Dhampir I will be there with you."

As I felt my eyes close I heard him say to Dimitri.

"Sleep brother I will finally be telling you everything and I hope you will understand."

_I found myself in the living room of the queen's mansion. Adrian was there but he didn't look like the Adrian I am married to. He was younger looking and in his hand was a tumbler of clear liquid. The slightly classy look in his eyes told me that he was drinking. It made me sad to see him like this. Dimitri and my Adrian stood beside me. _

"Adrian is this before I met you?"

"Yes Little Dhampir; let the memories unfold and when I am done you may ask me questions but for now please just watch.

_I turned back to see Adrian pouring another drink. Rhonda came out of the sitting room and saw Adrian. _

"You need to have a Reading. I have much to tell you." _He looked at her and laughed._

"I barely believe in God anymore and you think I am going to buy whatever bullshit you are selling?"

_Rhonda disregarded his rudeness. She sat down on the sofa and pulled out her cards. He poured out another drink before he sat on a chair across from her. _

"Cut the Cards."

_He did as he was told. I could see the curiosity in his face along with much skepticism. She pulled five cards and read them without explaining each card as she had done the only time I went to see her._

"You are destined to find two rare jewels. The first will be the one who you will love from the moment you see her. She will captivate you in every way but she will belong to another. She will be the key to changing our world for the better. You will be the one who must help her. She will be yours for a while though she will always belong to the other as well. When the time comes you will give her back to him and give them your blessings."

"So you are telling me I am going to fall head over hills for someone else's chick? I got to help her change our world. She will cheat on her guy with me. When she gets the guiltys she will go back to him and I am supposed go with it. Pardon me while I go search for the cheating super slut right now."

_Dimitri let out a low growl but Adrian reached out and touched his arm. _

_The Adrian from the memory drank down his drink and got another. Rhonda continued with her reading as if he was really interested._

"The other will be like you; a golden soul. She is what you have been searching for. You will learn from her, and she from you. She is destined to have a place of power. Follow your father for the Holidays. The two Jewels will be at the same place as he."

"What makes you think I would be interested in going anywhere with my father?"

"I only know that my guides tell me. You Lord Ivashkov will want to meet these girls. They will bring meaning to your otherwise purposeless life."

_He looked so shocked by her words. He stood silent as she gathered her cards and purse then she walked out the doors._

**The scene dissolved and changed to the court mall. **

_I saw Mom, Lissa Adrian and I walking to Lilly's shop. I was about six months pregnant. I realized that this was the time we went shopping for maternity clothing. It was the day after I killed the two Strigoi outside of the public mall. It was strange seeing me from his memories. We hugged goodbye but both of us were reluctant to let go. Finally we ended our embrace and I walked into the shop with my mother and Liss. He continued on. _

_Looking for something to do, he went to visit Rhonda. Once he was seated in her Office she took his hands. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. If I had to describe what she was doing I would say she psychically tasted him. She opened her eyes and I saw that so many different emotions cross her face. Finally she spoke. Her face was serious and her voice soft and kind._

"When we last met I told you that you were to find two very precious jewels. You were hesitant at the time but I see that you took my advice, and you have found your jewels. You have set them on the right path. The golden jewel will need guidance but she will be given the chance to make her mark on us as a people very soon.

You're love is on both a mission and a journey. Part of her mission is to change our society and I can see the seeds of that change are already taking place. With both the ways she has lived her life and the decisions that she will influence will make us stronger as a people. But our world is in danger. The Strigoi are getting stronger in numbers. Her journey is not a physical one but one of being. She is becoming something very powerful. She will need to bare more children in quick succession if she is to bring safety to our world. If she does not fulfill the mission that she had been destined to; then the Moroi world, as well as the larger human world will be consumed by the Strigoi. "

_Her face grew sadder_.

"Her first love must be returned to her. He has a part in this mission as do you. It is part of your destiny to help her save him. One day you will be asked by the highest spirit to leave your love and give her back to her him.

He will not want you to leave her but he will not be able to stop you. You may give him the gift of your spirit so that he can better care for and protect your family. The choice to leave will ultimately be yours but if you do; you will be given the honor of being her guide. Your children will know you because you will help guide them as well."

"If I leave Rose; how will I be able to guide her? How do I give Dimitri my gift of Spirit?"

_The memory Adrian looked like he was afraid that she was going to confirm his worst fear. Beside me Dimitri stood very stiff and I knew he was also afraid of the answer. _

"Your soul will never leave her side; it is your body that will leave her. I don't know how it is that you will give spirit to her other husband. I can tell you that the answer will be in you when the time comes."

_I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. Dimitri held me up as we watched the rest of the memory._

_The memory Adrian's face went pale; he stood and spoke with a voice that betrayed his sadness and fear. _

"Thank you Rhonda."

_She hugged him before he walked out of the office. He walked straight to the Chapel and went it to pray._

"GOD

I don't understand any of this. I want to do your bidding but this hurts so much. Please God give me strength to do this. I have no problem with helping her save Dimitri. He is my brother and I can't stand the thought of his soul suffering while it is tied to the Strigoi. I don't know if I can leave her. I love her and I want to be by her side till the day we join you in heaven. I understand that this involves more than just me. What is happening to Rose is for the good of all the Dhampirs, Moroi and even the Humans of this world.

Give me strength and I will leave it all in your hands. I don't know how long I will have with my Rose, but I ask that you help me to always cherish every moment I have with her and to never waist it in anger.

AMEN"

**Again the scene changed and this time we were watching Dimitri's family arrive**_. _

_It was their first visit after Dimitri had been saved. Yeva went straight to Adrian and reached for his face. He bent down so that she could cup his face with both hands._

"Adrian my grandson, don't worry just yet. You are not going anywhere for a while. Rose may not know it but every day she heals you a little bit and gives you more time. Enjoy the time you have but if I were you I would tell her about her marriage to Dimitri. If you boys keep that hidden from her; it will bite you in the butt."

**This time when the scene dissolved I saw Yeva sitting with Adrian in the kitchen**. _Both looked very serious. Adrian was quietly sipping tea and trying not to look Yeva in the eyes._

"Adrian you know what I am going to tell you, do you not?" _He nodded still avoiding her piercing gaze._

"I do. I just wish there was more time. I feel it taking me a little more every day."

"I won't lie to you. This is the way that fate has it planned but you still have the choice."

"It wouldn't be natural. I would have to have Rose and Lissa heal me frequently. I would be worse than Viktor Dashkov. One healing with Lissa and he is still alive. I hear that he is just beginning to become sick again. Whatever this is; it wants me bad. I would have been dead months ago if not for my wife. Even Rose's daily doses of healing love aren't enough to keep it from taking me a little bit at a time."

"It sounds like you have made your decision. I know that this is so very difficult for you but it shows how much you believe in her. Have you told your brother yet?"

"No, Dimitri knows only what he has over heard through the bond. He knows that I believe I am dying but not why. He doesn't understand why I want him to learn; but he as humored me when I try to teach him how to use spirit."

"Have you felt your gift of spirit waning at all?" _He looked at her before answering._

"As I have grown weaker my spirit has gotten stronger. I have found that I have the ability to share my memoires during dream walks. I have only shared those with Dimitri so far. He doesn't know that it is a new ability."

"Adrian It is time for you to tell them. I wish I could tell you that you have more time. I can tell you that I am proud of you for choosing this path. She will be all the more powerful with your love and guidance."

**The dream vanished.**

I woke up. There were tears running down my face. My stomach lurched and I ran for the bathroom. Dimitri was by my side in a flash and he held my hair for me. I rinsed my mouth out with the hotel mouth wash. I took a moment to compose myself before allowing Dimitri to walk me back to the main room where Adrian was waiting for me. I went straight up to him and held him while wielding healing love to him.

"You can't leave us. I won't let you." He pulled away from me to look in my eyes.

"Rose, this is too powerful for you to fight. Don't worry, I am not scared." He kissed me softly and held me as I cried.

Dimitri called Sasha who said that she had used her old car seats for Theresa and Xander and had taken them home. She told him that she had run several preliminary tests and from the results and the symptoms we described she had a diagnosis for us. She would be waiting there for us at our house.

The car ride home was the longest journey I have taken. I sat in the back seat I let my mask down and allowed myself to cry the whole way home. Adrian was exhausted so he rested his head against the window. Dimitri had his guardian mask up while he drove but I could see him wipe tray tears away from his face. He parked the car in the garage and went to Adrian's side of the car. My tears started up anew when I saw that Adrian needed some help out. Chris met us at the door. He had a confused, concerned look on his face and his expression only grew more concerned when he saw the three of us.

"Uh Sasha is in the sitting room and she looks like she has been crying."

Dimitri turned to Adrian. She has a diagnosis do you want to try to keep it private or do you want her to share it with the family?"

"I think that the family should know." Adrian said quietly.

"Thank you Christian. Please tell her we will be there in a minute. Could you gather the family in the dining room for a meeting?" Chris nodded and walked back into the house.

I pulled all my inner strength together to pull up my guardian mask. I had allowed myself to fall apart but now I had to be strong.

I took Adrian's hand and walked into the house with my husbands. We walked slowly and to me it felt like we were walking to an execution. When we entered the dining room it was filled with everyone we considered to be our family: Lissa, Chris and their girls, Mom and Dad, Mia and Eddie, Dimitri's side of the family, Helen, Ivan, Alan, Arthur and Nicolai. I knew that two of Abe's guardians were out walking the parameter. My children would be napping at this time.

Sasha was seated near the head of the table. Dimitri and Adrian took seats across from each other leaving me to sit at the head. Adrian cleared his throat.

"I know that you have probably noticed that I have not been my normal self. Several of you have mentioned it to me a few times. I have been trying to hide the fact that I am very sick. I don't know what I have but I know that it is terminal. I have decided not to allow anyone to try to heal me because I believe that this is something that is supposed to happen. Sasha has run some test and I think she has some answers for us."

I was surprised at how calm he sounded. Earlier he had told me that he wasn't afraid and I believe him. Sasha sniffed and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Earlier this morning I examined Adrian. As you know Moroi are not known to get ill easily. However when we do it is often very serious. Though his symptoms sound somewhat ambiguous, but something about them triggered a memory from med school. I suspected that Adrian is suffering from Hemometabolic dysfunction."

I heard a gasp and looked up to see where it was coming from. Christian had a look of shock and sadness. Sasha gave him a sympathetic look. She took a deep breath to steel herself; and continued on

"In layman's terms Adrian's body is not metabolizing the blood he takes. This is a very rare disease; it is not contagious and does not run in family lines. No one knows what causes it and there is no cure. From what I understand he has been suffering from it for nearly 3 months."

Again Christian gasped.

"How? Hemometabolic dysfunction usually kills within a few short weeks." Sasha did not seem to be surprised at Christian's knowledge on the subject.

"I suspect that Rose is the reason he is still alive. We all know that with every act of affection and love she wields love to whomever it is she is giving affection to. We feel it every time she hugs us. My girls have told me that they feel warm and fuzzy when she brushes and braids their hair for them. I suspect that the more intense the act of affection the stronger the love she wields. We all know how affectionate Rose and her husbands are in their own ways so it is no surprise to me that despite the virulence of this disease Adrian has lived this long."

"What if I heal him like did for Viktor Dashkov? My healing powers are stronger than Rose's are. It's been over 3 years and he is only now beginning to show signs of his illness returning." She jumped out of her seat and headed for Adrian. I know how much Lissa loves Adrian; he is like a brother to her. I looked at Adrian with hope that he would agree.

"Lissa, No!" The force of Adrian's tone stopped her in her tracks. Then his face softened.

"Lissa remember, sometimes we can't stop the bad things from happening. You know that as well now as Rose does. Sometimes the things that die are supposed to die; spirit cannot and should not heal everything."

She had to grip the table when she registered what he had said. I closed my eyes because I had to gather my strength to keep my mask up. She spoke to me through the bond.

"_Isn't that what he told you when I lost the baby a month ago?"_

"_Yes it was almost verbatim. I think he was trying to prepare us for this back then."_

"I wish it were that easy to help him Your Majesty. Even if you had two or three spirit users and Rose it would only push the inevitable off a few months at best. Viktor Dashkov's illness is one that will take years to kill him but as your husband has pointed out, this one kills within weeks of its onset."

Sasha's tone told me that she has already considered this option. We did have another Spirit wielder at hand. Oksona and Mark had been invited to Lissa's wedding and her coronation. They were now visiting friends but they were not far. Oksona, Adrian and Lissa had all become close over the two and a half years since my wedding. If they did help us they wouldn't have to worry about the shadows from spirit's use because Misty and I would be able to pull them out. As it was right now Mark was nearly shadow free because I pulled them for him just a few days ago.

I wanted to jump up and insist that we call on Oksana and have her and Lissa join me in sending him healing love and spirit. I remained glued to my seat looking at Adrian. He had caught my eye and no doubt he knew were my train of thought would have gone. My focus was still on Adrian's beautiful eyes but through my periphery vision I could see Lissa; she had been listening in on my thoughts. Looking into my eyes Adrian gave me a sympathetic smile but shook his head at me. There had been a hint of hope on Lissa's face till she saw the exchange between me and Adrian. Her shoulders sagged and she sat back into her chair. Christian put his arms around her and held her as she began to cry softly into his chest.

"Are you positive about the diagnosis?" Abe asked Sasha.

"There really is only one test for Hemometabolic Dysfunction. It is very easy to do and interpret. You take a few drops of the patient's blood on a slide with a drop of fresh blood. As you all probably remember from basic biology; a vampire's blood cells, be it Moroi or Stigoi will attach to the cells of the fresh donor blood and absorb them. In a patient with Hemometabolic Dysfunction; their blood will have little to no reaction at all to the introduction of fresh blood."

Sasha closed her eyes took another deep breath. I could see that she was struggling not to cry. Not only is Adrian her first cousin but despite a ten year age difference they have always been close friends and confidants.

"I tried the test with a drop of blood from each of my staff. I called for a feeder and I even used a drop of the blood that I had drawn from Rose just a few minutes earlier. There was almost no reaction to any of it." Her voice cracked as she said the last sentence but she continued on. "I would say that it is just a matter of days now." Having said what she needed to; she put her face in her hands and began to sob.

Slowly the members of my family began to come up to us giving hugs to Adrian Dimitri and me and saying words of condolence before leaving to process this news.

"I'm tired."

Adrian's voice was quiet and sad. Dimitri and I stood Adrian took a moment to do so but he stood and led the way out of the dining room and to the foot of the stairs. He looked at the daunting staircase and he looked at Dimitri. Without a word Dimitri lifted Adrian and carried him all the way up the stairs to our room.

From the nursery I could hear Xander fussing and Helen talk to him soothingly. I looked to my husbands and they both gave me a nod. I went to the nursery. Helen had a bottle of expressed milk that Xander seemed to have no interest in. I reached out for him and she handed him to me. I settled in the rocking chair to nurse my baby. I looked at my boy as he ate. He looked so much like his father that it almost hurt to see it. His emerald green eyes looked up at me with intensity.

"I am sorry my son, I promised you that I would heal your daddy but I won't be able to keep that promise."

From behind me I heard someone enter the room. I didn't need to turn to see who it was. The temperature of the room went up a degree the moment the person stepped in.

"Hey pyro. Thanks I was getting a bit cold." I whispered.

"No problem Rose. Can I talk to you for a bit?" I nodded and he crossed into the room and sat in one of the other two rocking chairs.

"So who was it? Who did you know that had it?"

"My mom, that's why they turned Strigoi, Dad couldn't live without her. I was little at the time but I still remember everything. When they made the decision dad wrote a letter to his sister, Tasha, he packed suitcases with all my clothes and they drove me to my aunt's house. I was to give her the letter after dinner. In it they explained to her what they were going to do and why. She ran to her guardian and told him to call counsel for help. She had a feeling that they would come back to get me.

They did come back. They came back for me and I didn't understand that they were bad. I saw my mother healthy and strong and I wanted to run to her. Aunt Tasha kept me behind her, out of reach of my parents. I don't know how she fought them off; they were so fast and so strong. It scared me how they were fighting her so I stayed behind her hiding from them. John, Tasha's guardian, fought my father; but he lost just moments before a troop of guardians came rushing in. My mother is the one who gave her those scars. By the end of the battle my parents were both dead and my aunt was so badly beaten that she was hospitalized for a week. They sent me to St. Vlad's till she got out and insisted they bring me home for the summer.

She took me in and raised me after that. I have always felt guilty for how her life changed that day. Her fiancé left her because she wouldn't send me away. Her friends and family turned their backs on us; because of the choices that my parents made. She decided that she needed to be able to protect us better so she took up self defense and began studying defensive magic. After a while we went to live in the human world. Getting blood was tricky but she managed to find us a volunteer every other day and of course when school started she would send me to school but every vacation she came to visit me or have me come home to her."

I sat quietly while he shared this part of his history that I am sure he had never even shared with Lissa. After letting it out he sat quietly for a moment as I nursed my son.

"Chris thanks for sharing this with me. I know how much it must have hurt to relive those memories."

"I want you to know that someone understands your pain."

"You're a good brother pyro. Hey could you take care of the kids so that I can spend some time with him?"

"Sure."

He waited while I finished nursing. When I was done he put a burp rag on his shoulder and took my baby over his shoulder. I fixed my top and went back to my room. Dimitri was on one side of Adrian as he had been during our dream walk. I crawled in on the other side and put my head on Adrian's shoulder. The weariness of the day soon caught up to me; and I drifted to sleep.

xXx

Adrian POV

Dying isn't painful; not physically. What is painful is watching my family watch me die. Abe arranged to have the sitting room turned into a room for me. There is a California king sized bed where the sofa used to be. It is big enough for both Rose and Dimitri to stay here with me. I admit it was strange at first having my brother sleep next to me; but I our bond is so strong that I want him with me. Also I know that Rose needs him here even more than I do. We brought Theresa's bed and Xander's crib in here as well.

When I asked Abe why he did this for me, he said that it is what he would have wanted. He would have wanted to be down on the first floor where all the family activity is. He had seen how Dimitri and I had stayed by Rose's side when she was weak from wielding death. And how after Sasha had given us the diagnosis Rose and Dimitri stayed by my side. He figured it would be best to rent a bed that would accommodate us all.

My body has gotten weaker by the hour and I know that it won't be long now. I spend most of my time sleeping but I do manage to wake for visitors. My mother and sisters have been here a few times. Sasha and Andrew come often I won't allow Sasha to monitor the progression of my illness. I don't need to know and I don't want Rose to know how fast I am dying.

Tatiana has come to see me too. I don't call her Auntie any more. She has told me the truth so now I call her Grandmother. Theresa has told me that a little girl has been talking to her in her sleep. This little girl told Essa that her Daddy Dimitri had to go to spirit world and learn to be a spirit guide.

Over the last week I have spent a lot of time dream walking with my wife and my bondmate. We were worried about Dimitri's safety from our research the shadow kissed don't fare well after their bond mates die but Yeva assured us that because I will be giving Dimitri my spirit ability our bond is not going to be broken by death. I am glad that he will not go insane like shadow kissed Anna did. During our dream walks I have spent time showing Dimitri and Rose the things that have already been reviled to me about her mission and her journey. I have worked with Dimitri on the use of spirit and with each lesson I have given him a potion of my abilities. In return God gives me a Portion of my new abilities.

I open my eyes and I see that Dimitri is looking out of the window at the predawn light.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" He turned to me and sighed.

"Some song that Chris listens to. It is eerie how apt it is to how I feel right now."

"What is it? Sing it for me please." Dimitri doesn't sing often but for his family he will but usually in Russian. He took a deep breath and quietly began to sing to me.

I close both locks below the window  
I close both blinds and turn away  
Sometimes solutions aren't so simple  
Sometimes goodbye's the only way

And the sun will set for you  
The sun will set for you  
And the shadow of the day  
will embrace the world in gray  
and the sun will set for you

In cards and flowers on your window  
Your friends all plead for you to stay  
Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple  
Sometimes goodbyes the only way

And the shadow after day  
Will embrace the world in grey  
And the sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day  
Will embrace the world in grey  
And the sun will set for you.

I looked over to the window sill and thought of all the flowers sitting there. All of the get well cards begged me to allow Rose, Lissa and Oksona to heal me.

"That was beautiful brother. Thank you. I can see why you feel it is apt."

I closed my eyes. While I rested I felt my Rose enter the room. Keeping my eyes closed I called to her.

"Rose, my love, could you please remind my brother not to neglect himself for me. He has not drunk from you in days."

I could hear her chastise him in whispers. I didn't need to look up to know that she would be pulling him to the chair. I could feel her love radiate through the room as she fed him. I smiled as I drifted to sleep.

Her soft arm wrapped around me and her head rested on my shoulder. I was pulled into a dream. I recognized the surroundings. Rose brought me here a few times; it was a forest near Baia that Victoria has taken her to. She stood before me in a lavender sun dress. I took her into my arms and held her. Her love pulsated through me with each beat of her heart. My illness has progressed so far that it didn't matter how much healing love she gave me; I didn't stop her from trying. I thought of the song that Dimitri had sung for me. In this moment there was a song that came close to how I am feeling. In a whispered voice I began to sing to Rose.

Hold on to me love  
You know I can't stay long  
All I want to say is that I love you and I am not afraid  
Oh Can you hear me?  
Can you feel me in your arms?

Holding my last breath  
Safe inside myself  
All my thoughts of you  
Sweet raptured light  
It ends here tonight

I'll miss the winter  
A world of fragile things  
Look for me in the white forest  
Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)

I know you hear me  
I can taste it in your tears

Holding my last breath  
Safe inside myself  
All my thoughts of you  
Sweet raptured light  
It ends here tonight

Closing your eyes to disappear  
You pray your dreams will leave you here  
But still you wake and know the truth  
No one's there

Say good night  
Don't be afraid  
Calling me, Calling me as you fade to black

Holding my last breath  
Safe inside myself  
All my thoughts of you  
Sweet raptured light  
It ends here tonight

As I sang to her she pressed her face into my chest as she began to cry softly. She recognized this as my way of telling her I would not be waking up again. The healing love she sent me increased and mixed with it was the familiar feeling of spirit. I held her for a while letting them try to save my body. Then I sat down bringing Rose with me.

"Dimitri I know you're here. I recognize the feeling of my own spirit."

Dimitri came out from behind a tree. I held my arm out to him and he sat down beside me. In one hand I held hers and in the other his hand.

"Brother, I cannot heal myself. It is my spirit that you are wielding and it cannot heal me." He sighed but I could feel that he pulled back.

"Rose I love you. I will be back to guide you and to see you. Before I will be able to come back I will need you to come to terms with my passing." In the corner of my eye I saw a beautiful little angel waiting for me. She looked to be about 5 years old. Her hair was soft yellow like lemonade. Her eyes were an ice blue. I knew this child but I know not how. She smiled at me and I knew she was here to take me home.

"It's time for me to go now; I love you. Take care of each other. Dimitri I give this to you. I pressed his hand to my chest and felt the rest of my spirit enenrgy transer from me to him."

I placed their hands together and kissed them both on the head. Dimitri saw the little girl and he held Rose close to him when I stood. Rose tried to stand and stop me but Dimitri held her and pointed to my angel. I walked over to the little girl and took the hand she offered.

The dream faded and my heart was filled with more love and peace then I could ever have imagined possable.

* * *

It is not said weather Nathan tried to visit his son or not.

Do you think he did?

If he did, do you think Adrian was willing to see him?

Who is the little girl that Theresa told adrian about?

Who is the little Angel?

I listened to two songs while writing this

Shadow of the day by linkin park

and

Holding my last breath by Evenescence

I hope you liked this chaper please review and share your thoughts.

Suzanna


	40. Grief

Im so sorry that it took me a week to get this out but I really wanted it to be good. Thank you guys for the reviews that you gave me. It can be easy to make people cry and to have you let me know that I made you cry really touched me. Thank you for reading and I hope that my writing lives up to the prase you give me.

I do not own Vampire Academy but that which is mine I share with you.

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**Chapter 40: Grief**

**Lissa POV**

When Adrian died; I knew it because of two things. First of all I felt Rose's grief rip through me, but also I felt the small hum from the marital bond that had formed between Rose and Adrian fade away as his soul left. When I felt this I woke up Chris and had him call Sasha. While he did that I went down to console Rose and Dimitri. When I walked in the room what I saw devastated me. Rose was kneeling on the bed leaning over Adrian. Dimitri was on the same side of the bed as she was. He was holding her and leaning over his brother. They were both crying softly and whispering I love you to his body. Sasha arrived within a few minutes with the court coroner.

I gently pulled Rose and Dimitri to the kitchen where Yeva was already making a pot of tea. They sat together in silence both wearing the guardian mask. They accepted the cups offered but nether drank. Instead they sat together and stirred their cups. Every once in a while they would look into each other's eyes. Their masks never faltered but I could feel that some kind of silent communication was going on between them.

I could feel that though their faces may have been hard and emotionless; underneath there was so much sorrow and loss. I had never realized that I could feel through my bond with Rose; the bonds that she has to other people. It wasn't till I felt Adrian's bond energy fade I understood how interconnected Rose and her husbands were.

The strange circumstances of Rose's marriage were something I never really thought about. I guess I just assumed that they tolerated the situation for the sake of Rose and the children. I know that Rose's relationship is different with each. She loves both of them as much as I do Chris.

The feelings I get from Dimitri are intriguing. There were no romantic feelings from him for Adrian but his feelings of loss are so similar to the ones Rose feels. He is morning the loss of brother as well as a co-spouse, and the father of their children. When I think about it, I can see that there was never any jealousy or rivalry between them. In fact they were always generous with each other when it came to sharing time with Rose and the children. One thing that surprises me is that I can still sense the spirit bond between Dimitri and Adrian. Somehow the bond between them has remained intact. I am relieved for that because the loss of a bondmate can lead to depression and insanity for the one left behind.

Abe had the sitting room put back to its original condition as soon as Sasha and the court coroner gave the ok. Rose couldn't bring herself to return to her bedroom so instead she has been sleeping in Dimitri's room. Some people might get the wrong impression but the relationship between Rose and Dimitri has not changed. Rose and Dimitri find solace in each other's arms but it isn't the kind of comfort that would raise any eyebrows.

A day after Adrian died Rose came to me and asked me for some advice. Adrian had already planned the funeral and the lunch after his burial. Rose wanted to do something special but she wasn't sure how it would be accepted. I listened to plan and after a moment of thought I told her that it was a beautiful idea. Dimitri also wanted to hold a bonfire for Adrian like the one that Dimitri's family had done when he was taken by the Stigoi. Rose and Dimitri planned both things together which gave them something to focus on. Adding their own touches helped then deal with their pain.

xXx

Christian's POV

I have not seen Rose like this since Dimitri had been taken by the Strigoi. She is just going through the motions of everyday life. Rose has put on a happy face when she is around her children but I can see that it is hard for her. Dimitri is almost as bad as she is. I think he would be worse if he didn't have her to focus on. Since the day that Adrian was diagnosed Rose hasn't been hungry. Grief can make a person lose their appetite but for obvious reasons Rose should be eating regularly. I have noticed him trying to get her to eat.

I hope that the funeral tomorrow will help. Adrian had everything planned and ready. I am not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It did spare Rose and Dimitri the pain involved in planning his funeral but at the same time sometimes taking care of the final arrangements can be cathartic.

Rose has decided to add some touches of her own. When Rose and Lissa were on the run during their sophomore and Junior years of high school they had attended Roman Catholic services instead of Eastern Orthodox. They would stay in college towns and rent rooms with college students. When one of their roommates died in a drunken driving accident Rose and Lissa attended something called a Rosary. At a Rosary the friends and family come together and pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased. She made a call to Sr. Catherine and asked her if she could round up a priest who would be willing to come to court to preside for her. Sister Catherine sent the priest who works at her academy in Ireland. Lissa cleared it with our priest for the use of the chapel. So at 3 am we are going to gather at the chapel together and pray.

The funeral will be held in the morning with the procession to the grave for the burial to follow after. After the burial Adrian has pre-arranged to have a caterer handle a lunch here at the house. Rose and Dimitri have decided to hold a memorial Koster (bonfire). They have been out in the woods gathering wood a few hours a day for a few days. Dimitri also gathered some rocks and increased the size of the fire pit near the pond. He also bought ten logs to use as seating around the fire. I think that doing these things will help them to come to terms with their grief.

When we arrived at the chapel I was surprised to see that several nuns were there. They were talking with Rose and Dimitri who had arrived earlier with their kids. We sat in the pew that is reserved for the Queen and her immediate family. A nun came up to us and handed us each a Rosary from a basket she held. Lissa brought one out of a little pouch she had in her purse. It looked like a beaded necklace with a cross hanging down in the front. The sister insisted that Lissa keep the Rosary as a gift from the academy. Then the Nun went to give out more rosaries to the mourners who just walked in. I listened to Lissa as she explained to Arianna and Isabela how to use one. To a certain extent it sounds a lot like a chotki prayer rope.

The Rosary officially began and at first the only voices heard praying were the priest, the nuns, Lissa Rose and to my surprise Janine. The priest announced the mystery (a scene in the life of Jesus or Mary) then he would chant the first half of the prayer and the women would chant the second half. This went ten times. By the end of the first decade, (the Mail Mary Repeated ten times), all the mourners were able to follow along. Then Fr. O'Gorman announced the second mystery and this time the women chanted the first half of the prayer with the men doing the second. We prayed five decades.

Then Fr. O'Gorman said a prayer of blessing over Adrian's body. He then invited the family to come up and sprinkle holy water over him as well. When Rose went up she bent down and kissed his forehead as did Dimitri. When Theresa asked they helped her give him a goodbye kiss as well. I heard several people gasp at this but I felt differently. I remember when we had the wake and burial for my parents (they were not allowed a funeral because they turned Strigoi willingly). No one would let me touch them let alone give them a goodbye kiss. To this very day I regret it even If it was not my fault. I understand that most people have issues with dead bodies; but when it is someone you love with all your heart sometimes it just doesn't matter.

When all was said and done I have to say that I liked the Rosary. I am still not a very religious person but I can see how something like this would be soothing. What's strange is that when I met Rose she was more or less agnostic. She believed that there could be a god but if there was he was not an active participant in our lives. Over time she began to change her thinking. She has said that talking with the ghosts has taught her a lot about God and even about heaven and hell. She doesn't fully prescribe to any particular faith but her experiences with both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism along with her father's background in Muslim has made her lean towards Judeo Christian religions in general. Adrian had once told me that he was very religious as a youth but when he started to have so many problems dealing with spirit and started to misbehave that he pulled away from God. Meeting Rose had changed him. He started to pray for her when she was away in Russia and slowly he came back to God.

xXx

Dimitri POV

Adrian's funeral

I walked up to the podium and faced all our family and friends. There were faces that I have never seen but I could see the family resemblance. My mouth went dry but I took a deep breath. It was hard not to put up my mask and use its strength to help me through this. I needed to do this for my brother without relying on my inner walls.

"Friends and family we are here to celebrate the life of Adrian Ivashkov. There is so much to be said about him and I am sure I could never do his memory Justus. To me he was so many things. He was my little brother and though we didn't have much interaction with each other until the last few years of his life; we have always loved and thought about each other." My eyes strayed to the casket before I continued.

"In my eyes he was a guardian. When fate took me away from myself and I was a danger to my loved ones, he stepped up and protected those who were most precious to me." I looked at Rose and the children standing near the altar. Rose gave me a small smile.

"He was my healer, and my bond mate. He helped bring me back to myself and to my loved ones. During the healing process I became bonded to him as Guardian Hathaway is bonded to Queen Vasilisa.

He was my friend and co spouse. I was accepted into his life and his home. I have never known a more loving and selfless man in this whole world. I only hope that I can follow in his footsteps and be as good a husband and father as he was. I am truly blessed to have known him."

I pressed my hand to my lips and touched it to his casket. "Thank you my brother." I stepped down from the podium. I took Xander from Rose so that she could speak but I stayed near so that we could walk back to our seat together.

"When I first met Adrian I thought he was just another spoiled Moroi looking for some fun with a young lady. I was right in a way."

As she said this there was a mix of gasping and laughter from the packed church but she continued.

"It didn't take long for me to find out he was also so much more than that. He quickly became my friend and my confidant. Whenever I was in trouble or I needed a shoulder to cry on he was there for me. Even when I lost the first man I had ever loved, he was there for me."

Rose's voice cracked and she stopped for a moment to gather inner strength.

"Adrian stood by my side even when we found out that the impossible is possible for me. He loved Theresa as his own child and for that I will forever be grateful." She looked at Theresa standing at my side, her hand held tightly in mine. Then Rose looked at me and smiled.

"Adrian knew that it would be possible for us to bring Dimitri back to himself. He knew that if we brought Dimitri back it would renew the marriage of the heart that had bound Dimitri and me. I didn't know about the bond, all I knew was that I wanted my child to know her father. Adrian wanted his brother to know his daughter. He accepted Dimitri into our home and into our life. He was never jealous and he never made it difficult for me. He allowed me to figure things out for myself." She took a deep breath and stood a little taller.

"Most of you probably think that I was physically intimate with both of my husbands. I want you to know that Adrian has been the only man I have been with since the day we began to date. Before leaving me; he gave me three children who will always know how much their father loved them and how much Dimitri and I love them."

She looked down at her very round belly and caressed it. Again she paused to gather inner strength. It might have seemed strange that she was discussing the matter of our unusual marriage but I understood that she wanted everyone to know that Adrian was never made a fool of. That he never submissed himself as a cuckold in his own home.

"I am sure that as long as any of us live we will never know another man like Adrian. I want to challenge each of us to try to be more like him."

Rose stepped away from the podium and kissed her hand as I had and pressed her hand to his casket.

"Hurry up and visit me, my Angel Guide." She whispered so quietly, if I had not been standing so close with the children I would not have heard her. She picked up Theresa and together we walked to our pew.

Once the funeral mass was over the pallbearers; Arthur, Abe, Andrew, Eddie Nikolai and I took our places and lifted the casket, carried it out of the chapel and around the back to the court cemetery. Under normal circumstances the ground would have been too frozen to be able to burry anyone but thanks to Christian, Tasha and a few other fire wielders the ground was warm and workable.

As I carried the casket; I could feel the weight of his body inside. I thought of his last week with us. He grew so week that I would carry him anywhere he wanted to be. He tried to spend a lot of time with the family at first but eventually even that had become to exhausting. Carrying his casket would be the last time I will hold my brother. Using white ropes we lowered him carefully down. The priest said more blessing over the casket and the ground. We each were given a clump of dirt and a yellow Gerber daisy. Beginning with Rose we each approached the grave and dropped our daisy and the lump of dirt. This was a symbolic act of letting him go.

When we arrived back at the house the catering company had already set up a buffet in dining room. The furniture had been removed from the expansive living room and about 10 large tables had been set up. I heard Rose's stomach growl she looked up at me sheepishly.

"I guess life marches on whether we are ready for it or not." I said to her. I led her to the table that was set up for Adrian's family. She held Xander while I got a plate of food for her and one for Theresa. She was just about to hand the sleeping boy to me but he woke up giving his hungry cry. We had used the last of the expressed milk this morning. I brought out a blanket from the diaper bag she covered herself and our son with the blanket and soon his crying became silence as he fed.

One handed rose tried to eat her lunch but with the stream of people who came up to give condolences it was almost impossible. Nearly half an hour later the traffic around our table calmed down. Janine took Xander so that Rose could finally eat. I have been very worried about her these past couple of weeks. She has not been eating as she should and I am beginning to worry about her health. Between carrying twins, nursing a baby and giving me blood; her poor body is over taxed. When she finally finished her plate I tried to offer her more but she declined.

Lissa had insisted that none of her sanctioned guardians or any of Abe's for that matter should be on duty. She had court guardians protecting her Mia and Abe. One would have thought that this kind of gesture would be a given; but according to tradition at least one of her official guardians would have been on duty. The guardian counsel even tried to insist that Eddie should be on duty since Janine was mourning a son in law and Rose her husband. Thankfully Queen Vasilisa stood her ground. Eddie and Adrian really got close during Rose's first pregnancy and it would only have been right for him to participate with the family.

Xander had grown tired of Janine's arms so I reached out to him. He bent over into my hands and I brought him to me. To me he just as much my child as Theresa. He played with my ears and nose quietly. Rose and I sat listening to Eddie and Christian talk about some of the practical jokes that Adrian and they had played on each other. Every once in a while Rose would remind them, that a prank here and there had backfired on them. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tall figure walking up to our table. Rose must have felt me stiffen beside her. She put her hand on my shoulder as she addressed the new comer.

"Lord Ivashkov.' Her voice was respectful but devoid of emotion. Her guardian mask was tightly in place.

"Lady Ivashkov. May I speak with you and my son privately?"

His voice was low and gravely. He looked down at me and his grandson in my arms. Rose and I locked eyes for a moment. Without words we debated our next move. Our decision made, we both gave a nod. I stood up and led the way to the sitting room. I took a deep breath and gathered all of my control before turning around. Thankfully I still held Xander in my arms or I may not have been able to keep myself calm. When I turned around Nathan was gazing at Xander. I held my son protectively. Rose was the first to speak.

"Alright Nathan let cut to it what do you want?" Without so much as a glance to ether Rose or me he reached out to Xander.

"May I hold my grandson?"

I turned my body slightly and took a step back. Rose took two steps to the side and stood in from of us. She stopped short of crouching in a defensive stance. Her guardian mask still in place she spoke in a cold, even tone.

"Adrian may have forgiven you in his last days, but what makes you think I do? I know how you treat your loved ones. You try to touch my son or even blow him a kiss and I won't hesitate to kick your ass myself." She took a calming breath.

"Rosemarie, Dimitri I am not the man I was then. I am not as good as Adrian or my father but I am trying. My mother tells me that he was a very kind man who would be ashamed of the man became." He looked directly at me when he said this.

"Then you know about Nathanial Cervantes?"

"Yes Tatiana had a conversation with me about him a few months back and I did some research. He was indeed a very good man. For a non royal he was also extremely rich. Since my children and my wife already have a substantial inheritance I wanted to offer the Cervantes inheritance to you and your sisters."

"We don't need anything from you." I said with vehemence

"I never said that you needed it or even that you wanted it. I want your family to have it because it belongs to you. Don't think of it as a coming from me; think of it as a gift from Nathanial Cervantes. If you brother is anything like him then I am more than positive this is what he would want." His gaze went back to little Xander.

I looked over at Rose and again we had a wordless exchange. I have never known anyone who could say so much with just her eyes. Her eyes softened and I knew she thought I should accept this gift and that I should be open to some kind or relationship with my father. After everything he did to my mother and my brother how could I try to build a relationship with him. The gentle movement of an eyebrow told me that perhaps I don't know the whole story. Just as Rose had resented her mother until she took the time to listen maybe I needed to take the time to listen. She understood that I may never learn to love this man but for my own good I needed to learn to accept him. I acquiesced and her eyes gave me the strength to turn back to my father.

"For myself and my sisters I will accept the inheritance of Nathanial Cervantes." Nathan broke his gaze from Xander and looked into my eyes.

"Thank you, Dimitri." He looked longingly at Xander. Little Alexander looks so much like his father. They got the bronze hair from his grandmother. But those emerald eyes are just as brilliant as Adrian's. They are even deeper than most of the Ivashkov's. From what Tatiana told me Nathanial had brilliant green eyes.

While Nathan was talking to us Misty Blue; came padding over. She walked up to Nathan and rubbed up against his legs. He bent and picked her up. I heard Rose gasp softly.

"Hello there kitty, I remember you." He looked over at Rose. "Isn't this the little panther that attacked me at your wedding? Misty Blue rubbed up against his face and he gave a little chuckle into her fur. For a moment there I could see Adrian's smile reflected on his father's face.

In my head I heard Rose's voice. I had heard that one of her abilities as a wielder of life and death was that she could communicate with others without speaking. I would be able to hear her but cannot answer the same way. This was a gift that she had only used a few times Janine, Eddie, Lissa and Chris.

(Dimitri, you know that this cat can tell what a person's intensions are. She used to hiss at Jessie and Ralf when they tried to taunt me. You have seen her indifference to Tasha when she comes over. As Nathan said she attacked him at the wedding without provocation. For her to be cuddling up to him is significant. I think he is being sincere.)

I looked her deep in the eyes asking her if I should allow Nathan to hold Xander. Her eyes were tense but I could see her consent. I took a several cleansing breaths. Rose did the same as she stepped to the side allowing access to her son.

"Nathan would you like to hold Xander?"

Nathan looked up and his eyes shone with surprise and joy. Rose reached out and took Misty Blue and I handed Xander to his grandfather. Xander put his thumb in his mouth and patted Nathan's face. He looked at his grandson with love. A moment later a tear rolled down his cheek. He handed Xander back to me and walked away wiping his eyes as he did. Once Xander was back in my arms Misty Blue jumped down and made her way back to her kitty condo. Rose put her arms around us. I don't know if I could ever forgive my father but I know that Rose is right people grow and change. For my sake I have to try.

We walked back to our table and I asked Christian if he would please light the bonfire for me. I made a little announcement inviting all who were interested to please join us by the fire for the memorial Koster.

Rose POV

The Koster

The caterer passed out shot glasses to the guests and Dimitri brought out several bottles of real Russian Vodka. For me he gave me an espresso mug and a thermos of hot chocolate. Sasha started the stories. She told about how he had always come to her aid when Tatiana was introducing her to one suitor or another. She told about the time he threw up on the Romanian just so he would leave her alone. While Sasha told her story, Tatiana's face shone with amusement at Adrian's antics. When Sasha was done with her story we all drank down our shot and then Adrian's mother Daniela took a turn to tell us a story about him. On and on it went. Everyone had something good to tell about Adrian. Even during his drunken years he had always been kind and loving. I felt like I was getting to know him better now than I ever had before. It made me love him more; and miss him more as well. It was nearly sun up by the time we finished. Guests hugged me and Dimitri as they left.

The fire was nearly out so Chris did something I had never seen him do before. He reached out his hand and called the fire to him. The flame rolled into a ball and as it got closer to him it grew smaller till it was the size of a golf ball. It rested in his open hand and sank into his skin.

"Very cool trick pyro. When we figure out which of these kids is my little pyro will you teach it to them?" He gave me a lopsided smile.

"You better not let anyone else have the honor of teaching your kid or I am gonna give you a good tan."

"Glad you are offering fire boy because a while back Dimitri Adrian and I decided we wanted you to be our pyro's teacher." His grin grew into a full on smile.

With the guests all gone, thankfully being driven home by sober guardians, we retreated into the house. Helen had taken the children in and put them to bed a while ago so I headed up to bed. Dimitri wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me to the kitchen.

"You need to eat. You had lunch at midnight and now it is seven am."

"Comrade I am more tired than anything else it has been a very long day. I just want to sleep." He looked into my face and I could see his concern.

"Roza you are carrying twins for that alone you should be eating better. But you are also nursing a baby who takes blood as well as milk from you. And you have me taking blood from you. You need to take care of yourself; if not for you then for those of us who need you."

Just like him to know how to get to me. I don't like to worry about myself but I am always worrying about my family.

"Ok I will eat but something quick, I really need some sleep."

He went to the refrigerator and found a container of Yeva's Chicken Vegetable soup. He served 2 bowls and put them in the microwave. While those heated up he cut up some of Olena's black bread and poured two tall glasses of milk. He brought the food over to me and sat with me. We ate together in silence sometimes we really didn't need words between us. I was surprised at how hungry I was. When I finished the first bowl I asked him for another and with a smile he jumped up to get it for me. Once I was full he washed the dishes and put them in the drain board.

As we walked up the stairs I leaned on him. I must have really been tired because the next thing I knew he was carrying me up the stairs. Once at the top he asked where I wanted to sleep.

"I think I should face my own room. I am going to have to learn to sleep there again sooner or later." He brought me into the room I used to share with Adrian and set me on the edge of the bed. He kissed me on my head.

"Good Night Roza." Suddenly I felt a trickle of panic. Just before he walked out of the room I called to him.

"Comrade? Do you think you could go change and come back here? I can't do this alone." He gave me an understanding smile. I changed into a warm cotton night shirt. I braided my hair into one long braid. Then I pulled down the covers. There was a knock on the door and I looked up to see Dimitri in his flannel PJs.

"Come on in Comrade. You really didn't need to knock since I invited you to stay."

"I know but I am just using the manners my momma taught me."

He crossed the room to Adrian's side of the bed. I had mixed feelings about him sleeping there but with me being pregnant I had to get up to pee a lot and sometimes Morning sickness hit me at night too, so I had the side closest to the bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. When I returned to my bedroom Dimitri held his arms out to me. I crawled into bed and I let myself sink into his embrace. Misty Blue came in as she always does and jumped up on the bed to lie next to me. Exhaustion took over and I was asleep almost intently.

Tasha POV

All throughout the day I kept looking at Dimitri and Rose. Even I could see that they really loved each other. And as strange as it is for me to understand Dimitri loved Adrian just as much as he does Rose only in different ways. I wish someone felt that way about me.

Once when I had been trying to convince Dimitri to stop being a third wheel in Rose and Adrian's marriage; he told me that I could never understand the bonds he had with them both. He told me I was seeing it like a bicycle with one training wheel attached but that it was more like a tricycle. Both the back wheels are equally important and equally necessary. I wonder now, how well the tricycle theory will work. Somehow I think the fact that both Dimitri and Rose can see ghosts will have some bearing on it.

When I gave Rose my condolences at the koster, I really meant it. I understand how hard it is to lose someone to Hemometabolic dysfunction. My sister in law was probably only a few days away from death when my brother decided to turn Strigoi.

Both Rose and Dimka were a bit cool with me when I spoke to them. I guess that I can't blame them. I really bit myself in the ass when I tried to convince Dimitri to be with me. Being standoffish with Rose at work hasn't helped my relationship with him any. I have tried not to be jealous but it has been almost impossible not to be. I have always liked Dimitri but he never looked at me. Heck he never really looked at any woman. His only focus was protecting his charge. Then Rose came along and she got everything I always wanted, Dimitri's love and his child. The sad thing is that I really do like Rose; she is smart, funny and brave. Maybe one day I will be able to patch things up with them.

It has been such a long day and I am exhausted. Soon as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep and began to dream.

I found myself in the chapel of St. Vladamir's Academy. I am not alone there are a lot of people and they all look as confused as I feel. I recognize the people in my dream because they were all at Adrian's funeral. No one is dressed like they are here for a funeral instead we are dressed in light colors. I look up towards the front of the church and it looks ready for a wedding. I see Adrian in a light gray suit. Holding his hand is a beautiful little girl with long blond hair. He is introducing her to Queen Vasilisa and Christian. I can't hear the conversation from my seat but I can see joy on their faces. Lissa swept the child in her arms and both she and Chris hug her and cover her face in kisses. I wonder who this child is.

Adrian went to the podium and called us to attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, first off yes you are dreaming. Yes I am dead and I have invited you to dream walk with me tonight. My Rose and Dimitri never got to have a wedding and so I have decided that it is about time that they have one. If you will wait here for just a moment I am going to get our bride and groom."

He faded away. When he returned Rose and Dimitri were with him. Rose was dressed in a dress similar to the dress she wore at her wedding to Adrian. The bottom of the dress had deep amethyst colored crystals sown into the bottom of it and as you look farther up the dress the color of the crystals became lighter in color. Baby bump and all; she looked exquisite. Dimitri was dressed in a white tux with amethyst accents and a light purple shirt. Adrian stood in place of a real priest.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to acknowledge the Marriage that already exists between Rosemarie and Dimitri. So you can better understand I will show you how I have always seen them." He asked them to face us and he waved a hand over them.

Suddenly an orb of light surrounded each of them. The light from Dimitri seemed to reach out and caress the light from rose and vice versa. Her light seemed to have shadows that floated around it but still the colors were beautiful. Dimitri's orb didn't have any shadows. What was absolutely amazing was that the orbs seemed to grow rays that would reach out and caress the other.

"When I first met them which I might add was months before they bonded. This is the way I saw them. I have never seen anyone's aura react to another person in this manner. Not even people who have been married for 50 years."

He waved his hand over them and the orbs or I guess they are auras, changed. Now Rose's Aura was light and the colors were soft. There was a lot of silver light emanating from her. Right over her baby bump were two purplish swirls. Dimitri was just as light as he had been before but now he had gold emanating from him. In both of them there was a blood red circle over there heart and it was surrounded by a golden ring. As I watched the auras continued to reach out and caress each other.

"The bond of the marriage of the heart leaves a visible imprint on the soul."

Rose and Dimitri were looking into each other's eyes as Adrian spoke. He whispered to them and the turned to face each other. Adrian stepped forward and took Rose's hand in his.

"Rose, my wife, you have loved me well. My life would have meant nothing without you. I thank you for your love and devotion but it is time for me to give you back to your first love."

He then took Dimitri's hand.

"Brother you have loved me and shared with me someone so precious to you and I thank you. I now give her back to you"

He joined Rose's hand into Dimitri's and when this happened their aura's united.

"There is no authority other than god who can put together a union such as this. God has given me the honor of Officiating this acknowledgment. From this day forward may all present here understand and accept the union of Rose and Dimitri. I ask that you address them as Lord and Lady Belikov Ivashkov."

Rose and Dimitri kissed each other softly on the lips. Then Adrian hugged them both. A few moments later I woke up with tears in my eyes. Dimitri is right I never did understand but now I do. My jealousy and resentment faded and I fell back to sleep feeling happy for Rose and Dimitri.

* * *

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Yes the little girl that Adrian introduced to Lissa and Christian was there unborn child. I chose to make her apear to be about 5 becuse I want her to be able to comunicate well with Arriana and Isabela as well as with Theresa. Though I might not write it in I want you to know that she will visit Lissa and Chris in their dreams. Her name is Angelina.

**POP Quiz**: well really just asking what you think.

1 What did you think about the Rosary and Koster that Rose and Dimitri planned?

2 Do you think that Nathan could have changed?

3 If Nathan has changed, what do you think made him change?

4 Adrian forgave nathan do you think that Dimitri and his family shouldl?

5 Has tasha really let go of her jealousy?

Please Please let me know what you think.

Suzanna


	41. Little Surprises

I have finaly gotten back to this story. I have to appologise for the writers block. I am working out the kinks in The truth gets in the way but I will try to post something on that story soon. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

I do not own VA but that which is mine I share freely with you.

* * *

**Chapter 24: Little surprises.**

**Rose POV**

The church and the guests all faded away and all that was left was Dimitri, Adrian and Me. Our clothes were changed to something more casual. We were standing by the fire pit next to the pond. Dimitri and I both threw our arms around Adrian.

"Thank You Adrian. That was very kind of you." Dimitri looked at his brother with love and gratitude.

"It was so beautiful. I always wondered how you knew that we were together. You had said that you saw it in our auras but wow now I understand." I looked at Adrian then back at Dimitri. Dimitri gave me a peck on my head.

"You are more than welcome. I feel honored to have been able to do it for you. Unfortunately now I have to send you on an urgent task." He looked at us with a bit of concern and gestured for us to sit.

"Victor Dashkov is actually sicker than everyone knows. Now that his illness has come back his immune system has been compromised and he has contracted another illness on top of his syndrome. He has information that you need and it is up to you two to get it from him."

"It won't be easy, remember he wouldn't take any bribes from Abe the last time we tried to get information from him."

"I don't want Roza or our children anywhere near that madman; no matter how sick he is."

"I don't want him anywhere near my family ether. If I knew what it is that he has to tell you; then I would save you the trouble by telling you myself. All I know is that he knows things about her and what she can do. Some of what he has to say may not be in the journals. The information he gives you is going to be vital to your mission."

I sighed. This was a can of worms I didn't want to touch but I could feel the pull of duty. I am the wielder of life and death. I don't completely understand everything yet but I know that I am supposed to protect my world from the Strigoi. There is a war brewing and I can feel it.

"I will find out what prison he was sent to and we will go talk to him ourselves." Dimitri looked at me and I could see he was upset but he wouldn't go against me.

"You will not be alone with him at any time. Do you understand? I don't care what he says. You will not be left alone with him." I smile at Dimitri as he cups my face in his hand. I leaned me hand into his caress. Wrapping a protective arm around me he turned to Adrian.

"We will get things started tomorrow."

Adrian gave a nod of approval then turned his head. I followed his gaze and saw the little girl that Adrian had gone with the night he died. She was beautiful. Her blond hair fell in a cascade down past her shoulders. Her blue eyes were the color of an arctic glacier. I knelt down to her level. She gave me a hug.

"Hello Auntie Rose." I hugged her back. "Auntie Rose I saw my mommy and daddy and they gave me a name. Do you want to know what it is?" I nodded at her unable to speak. "It's Angelina Ozera Dragomir." I wiped away a tear.

"Angelina is a beautiful name." She touched my belly and then she began talking to it. She smiled up at me.

"My cousins asked me to tell you that they love you." With that she kissed my cheek before skipping off to take Adrian's hand.

"You guys are waking up." He hugged us and kissed us each on the cheek quickly before the dream faded.

Through the baby monitor I heard Xander crying. Dimitri and I both got up to check on him. With everything that had gone on during the day he had fallen asleep without his last nursing. We walked into the room and found him sitting up wailing his little heart out. Dimitri lifted him out of the crib as I get settled in the rocking chair. Once I was settled and ready he handed Xander to me. The moment Xander was close enough to smell my milk he began to wail louder until finally he found my nipple.

Dimitri chuckled as the baby's cries ceased. I glared at him but he just chuckled more.

"And what is it that you find so funny?"

"He is so much like you. He doesn't like to miss a meal." I had to chuckle a bit myself. Xander looked up at me and his lips curled into a smile around the nipple and his emerald eyes twinkled.

"He may have my appetite but he has his daddy's good looks."

"That he does."

Dimitri caressed the soft baby hair on Xander's head then he settled into the rocking chair opposite from me. We sat in silence for a while. I knew that his thoughts were on the conversation that we just had with Adrian. He looked into my eyes and I could feel his concern.

"Rose I don't like it."

"Neither do I but you know as well as I do that he wouldn't send us unless it was necessary."

"I know still doesn't mean I have to like it. So what do you think our first move should be?"

"Lissa, I can't go looking for Viktor without her knowledge. Anyway the fact that she is our Queen might help get some answers out of the counsel."

"I agree. Before I was turned I had a lot of pull with the Guardian Counsel but now I am afraid that many of them still don't trust me; especially since I am not 100% Dhampir anymore."

"Do you still hate that you need to take blood?" He gave me a lopsided smile.

"It's not so bad because it is you. I think I would rather die than have to go to a feeder every few days."

Again we laps into silence. I burped Xander and changed his diaper. We laid him in his crib and within a few minutes his eyes closed and his little chest rose and fell showing he was already deeply asleep. We watched him sleep a few more minutes.

I took Dimitri's hand and led him back into my /our room. Over the past couple of weeks both Dimitri and I had been much too sad to enjoy our special feedings. Though we still had feeding and my energy still flowed during our sessions it was not the same. We both had missed Adrian so much and it just hadn't felt right to take pleasure in each other. After all everything we did to celebrate his life and mourn his passing, there had been a sense of closure. The dream-walk Acknowledgment of the marriage between Dimitri and Me had helped me feel ok about the fact that I have always had passion for Dimitri. My feelings for Dimitri had been obscured by my passion and loyalty for Adrian but they had never really gone away.

We got back in to bed and cuddled up together is a spoon position I could feel his breath against the back of my head. I thought about the way that Adrian had showed us and everyone else how our aura's interacted. I wondered what it looked like when we made love in our own special way.

"Dimitri?"

"Hmm?" I could tell he was close to sleeping.

"I want you to feed from me. I need to make love to you." He brought his head up and began kissing me on my ears and neck. His voice was husky with desire.

"Oh Roza I love you."

He sat up and pulled me into his lap. His hands though callused from training felt soft and warm against my skin as he cradled my face in them. We kissed softly and tenderly at first but the passion and need grew in intensity. Love and electricity flowed between and thought us with every touch and caress. Finally I couldn't wait any longer. I inclined my head exposing my neck to my husband. His mouth found its way to my jugular and he teased and kissed it. A helpless whimper escaped thought my lips. I arched my back giving him easier access to my neck. He continued to kiss my neck and mid kiss I felt his fangs sink into my flesh. My emotions swelled when my blood seeped into his mouth. We held each other in our embrace while he drank. When he pulled his mouth off of my vein he went back to kissing my neck and my jaw then back to my lips. He continued to kiss me and caress my body as he laid me back down. I lost track of time as we kissed but exhaustion took over and we fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

**xX8Xx**

When I woke the light of the setting sun was still visible along the side of the shades. It was early but I had some work to do. I carefully disentangled myself from Dimitri and left the comfort of his arms. I got dressed in my maternity workout clothes. I went outside and took my morning run around the parameter of the wards. I made a few laps before I stopped near Nikolai. He greeted me then followed me out of the wards. Sonya Carp stood waiting for me. She gave me a report on what the Strigoi were up to. Today was a good day; the Strigoi didn't have any attacks planned. After she gave me her report I went to the gym to finish my modified workout. I went back to my room to shower and dress for the day. Grabbing the baby monitor I headed to my office.

The first thing I did was write in my journal. I tried to write in my journal every day. It might sound strange but someday my great, great, great grandchild might need or want to know about my experiences as the wielder of life and death. For me having Bridget Donnelley's Journals has been helpful but more than that it has been very comforting. Lissa was also documenting her experiences because she is my Spirit bondmate.

After writing about the funeral and the Koster; I wrote about the marital bond acknowledgment and how I felt seeing Adrian again. I explained about the task that Adrian has set Dimitri and me on. I thought about all the questions I had for Viktor. The thing about Viktor was that he had an uncanny way of knowing things. I wonder how much he knows about me, my mission and my journey. I am not really afraid of seeing him again. I am more worried about how Lissa is going to handle it. Something tells me that Viktor is going to want to talk. I know Dimitri won't like it but I am ready to listen. I want to know everything that he has to tell me before he dies. I may be able to see ghosts but that does not guaranty that he will come to me after death. I have to get everything out of him while I have him in my physical presence.

A cry came from the baby monitor. I ran up to the nursery. The minute Xander saw me his sad face changed to a happy one. I picked him up and held him a foot away from me so that we could coo at each other. He laughed and cooed at me as I changed his diaper and clothes. Then he and I went to Theresa's room and woke her up. She is a very happy kid but she hates to wake up. I know she had to have gotten that trait from me.

"Come on giggle girl. Let's see your smile." She opened her eyes and scowled at me. I tried tickling her and she actually began to cry and pulled the cover over her head. Xander had been sitting next to her watching me try to wake her up. He leaned over and pulled the covers away from her face. She yanked them back and he pulled them off again. I just laughed as Xander tried to play with his grumpy sister. Xander got a mischievous glint in his eye and he looked at me with a smile. He pulled the blankets off her face farther than he had before. Then before she could grab them he leaped on her and kissed her cheek.

"Eww mommy thanda gave me a wet kith!" Xander sat with a smug look on his face as she sat up and wiped his wet kiss off her cheek. I heard a chuckle behind me. Dimitri came in and reached out to Theresa.

"Well Princess maybe you should try not to give mommy a hard time or she might just have to let your brother kiss you every morning."

"OK daddy Dimitri. I'll twy. Mommy what's for breakfatht"

"We will go down for BREAKFAST as soon as you get dressed for the day." I pronounced the word breakfast very carefully and slowly." I shot a look to Dimitri. I am beginning to worry about her lisp. Sure it sounds cute now but if she doesn't grow out of it soon it won't be so cute. Dimitri returned my look of concern as he let her down to go get dressed.

A few minutes later we were all headed to the Dining room together. Arianna and Isabela were already there with Lissa and Christian. Lissa was playing with her food and Chris was looking at her anxiously. I focused on her through our bond. She was feeling sad because though she got to spend some time in the dream-walk with her little Angelina; it felt like such a short time. Keeping our conversation private I spoke to her through the bond.

"_Liss you know that she will come visit you again. I got the feeling that she is going to be around us often."_

"_I know but what if I never conceive another baby again. I love both Arianna and Isabela as much as I love Angelina but I always wanted to have lots of kids. The idea of never having baby of my own has me feeling sick to my stomach."_

She was remembering how she has been feeling sick a lot lately. I gave her a hug and sent her healing love. As the energy made its circuit and came back to me I felt something different, something that I hadn't noticed before.

"_Liss are you late?"_

"_I don't have anywhere I need to be today besides, I'm the Queen I am never late."_

"_No silly are you late for your period?_

"_Yeah with all the stress and everything I guess I got thrown off schedule."_

"_No honey, you're pregnant."_ I smiled at her and she jumped out of her seat to hug me.

"What are you two thinking to each other? It might be nice if you share with the rest of us." Christian gave me an annoyed look.

"_Please can I tell him? I really feel like being sarcastic to him right now."_ She giggled and nodded.

"Take it easy lover boy. I just have a couple of questions for you; you been married to Lissa for a month right?"

"A month and three days, to be exact."

"Oh well I have been corrected. So do you think you knocked her up on the first night of your honeymoon or did you take your time?" He was about to say something back to me but then he stopped with his mouth open and looked from me to Lissa. A goofy grin spread across his face. Dimitri gave him a slap on the back.

"Congratulations Christian."

"Momma Lissa what is every one talking about?" Isabela looked at Lissa. Lissa had happy tears in her eyes. I got down to Izzy's level.

"Momma Lissa is going to have a baby." She looked at me like I was the last one at the party.

"We already knew that. Angelina told us during a dream-walk. She told us we have to behave for her and help her as much as possible because twins are really hard on a mommy." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Angelina is my fwend two. She's nice." Theresa said with her mouth full of fruit.

"Lissa and I both began to cry. She had always wanted our kids to play together. To find out that her lost baby was still part of the family in her own special way was overwhelming to us. I guess the extra hormones from pregnancy didn't help.

"Oh my god did she say twins? I'm having twins." Lissa squealed. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Lissa and let me get a look at your aura." She stood facing Dimitri. He looked at her and at me comparing our auras.

"I see two swirls." He smiled at her and gave her a hug. As the rest of the family came in for breakfast Chris couldn't help but blurt out to everyone that he was having twins. Eddie and Mia came in last. Mia looked exhausted and as she walked in Dimitri nudged me. The look in his eyes told me to go hug her and see if his suspicion was correct. I looked at him in disbelief but went over to hug Mia. Chris was already giving them the good news about Lissa.

"Good morning Mia." I gave her a hug and sent my energy into her. She looked so tired that I figured it would help her anyway. As it completed the circuit I felt the subtle difference that felt like it was returned by more than just her. I whispered to her.

"Mia, how have you been feeling?"

"Like crap. I feel like I have the flu and for some strange reason my boobs hurt."

"Congratulations honey, you're pregnant."

She let go of me and pulled Eddie out of the room. I heard a whoop of joy and he came back into the room jumping around like a kid.

"Guess what I am a daddy too."

"What's in the water in this place? Or is it just that you young couples can't keep your hands off of each other." Yeva had a teasing smile on her face. Dimitri came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms.

"I had nothing to do with it this time Yeva, but you can blame me for the next time in advance." I gave Dimitri a punch in the arm for that comment.

"I am going to call Sasha and see if she isn't too hung over from the Koster to give you guys your first prenatal exams. Then we are going shopping for maternity clothing."

"Rose you sound excited about shopping"

"I am happy. Don't question it just go with it."

**xX8Xx**

After breakfast I called Sasha and told her the news. She agreed to meet at her office at 9:00pm. Olena and my mother agreed to babysit all the girls. Xander had to come with me because I was going to be out longer than he is willing to wait for a nursing.

We Piled into my Durango and headed to court. It was strange and almost too normal. Even thought Eddie and I were guarding Lissa and Christian and Dimitri was guarding Mia; I almost felt like a normal couple out with friends. Through the bond I could tell that Lissa felt the same way.

Xander cooed in his car seat at me and Lissa. Dimitri and Chris were in the front and Mia and Eddie were in the back talking about baby names. I started laughing when I heard one suggestion.

"Eddison Castile you cannot name that poor child Mason Emmet! Mason is a given for a boy's name but Emmet. I think you have been watching too much twilight."

After that the car ride was filled with suggestions both serious and absurd. I almost earned a fire ball from Chris when I suggested Sparky Jr. for a boy and hot stuff for a girl. I didn't mean to make Mia cry when I thought up Liliana Anastasia Castile. I was thinking of pretty names that would be long and frustrating when it came time to learn how to write them. Who knew that she would love the name? Dimitri parked in the lot near Sasha's office ending our name game.

The first appointment was for the Queen. Chris and Lissa both asked me to be in the room with them while she had her exam and ultrasound. I know that they were both anxious because of having miscarried just two months ago. I sent calming energy to Lissa and also to Chris since he was holding her other hand. Lissa was told that she seems healthy and ready for this pregnancy. She and Chris both looked a bit upset when they were told that since they were having twins and because of the previous miscarriage they had to to cut out the sex.

"Uh Sasha Lissa knows how to dream walk…. Would that be ok?" I asked for them.

"Oh well they can do that for now but once you get closer you will have to avoid being aroused at all."

"So just to clarify we can have sex in our dreams right?" Chris sounded elated.

At least for now right?" Now he sounded afraid like we were going to tell him that we were just kidding and they were not going to be aloud the dream walks either.

"Yes fire crotch. That is what the Doctor said." I couldn't help laughing at the relief in his and Lissa's faces."

Sasha had Lissa lie down and put the gel on her belly. On the monitor two small shapes could be seen. They wiggled and squirmed as we all cried. Chris kissed Lissa and thanked her for giving him two babies. I gave her a hug and told her that our kids are going to be good friends. Judging by the size of the babies and the first day of her last period Sasha said that the babies were probably conceived on the first night of their honeymoon.

"Way to go fire crotch." I gave him a playful punch on the arm. Lissa got dressed and we went back to that waiting room. Next the nurse called Mia and Eddie into the exam room. Lissa took Xander from Mia and took him over to the corner where Sasha had some toys and books. Dimitri was reading a book and I leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep.

I found myself sitting in the apartment of guest housing that Adrian and I had shared after I first found out I was carrying Theresa. Adrian was sitting on the couch and I took a seat next to him.

"Hey Little Dhampir."

"Hello my Angel. Don't worry I am going to talk to Lissa about Viktor over lunch."

"That's good but I wanted to talk to you about you. Lil' Dhampir you haven't been taking care of yourself very well lately. So many people are depending on you and I know that you have been working on a lot of things lately but you need to slow down. Cousin Sasha is going to tell you the same thing. You need to listen to her for me please."

"Ok Adrian, I will try to pull back on some things."

"You're waking up. Take care of you. I love you." The dream faded and when I opened my eyes Dimitri was gently shaking me.

"Roza it is our turn."

I rubbed my eyes and stood and pushed myself out of the chair. Carrying twins was exhausting and to make matters worse I was already getting big. I looked around; Lissa and Christian were still playing with Xander while Mia and Eddie were in their own little world. Dimitri put a gentle hand on my back as we walked in to see Sasha.

"Well Cousin Rose how are you feeling?"

"Very tired more tired than I had with Theresa or Xander. I have been getting a lot of headaches and a bit of dizziness now and again too."

"I haven't mentioned it to her but her blood is a bit too sweet the last few days. Also Rose has not been eating enough lately." Dimitri ignored me as I glared at him for snitching on me.

"I let him give me two bowls of soup last night and I ate most of my breakfast this morning."

"Rose, my dear you know that you should be eating properly. Two good meals won't make up for skipping others. You should be having your regular meals plus snacks in-between."

Sasha examined me. She looked into my eyes, ears and down my throat. When she took my blood pressure I noticed a scowl cross her forehead. She took a vial full of blood and gave it to her nurse. Then she brought out a small box that had a small black bag that looked like something you might carry a camera in. Inside the bag was an oval shaped object with a screen on it. She put a little plastic strip into a slot and the screen activated.

"Rose I need to test your blood sugar. This thing is called a Glucometer; and this is a lancet. Give me your hand. This might hurt a bit."

She took my hand and cleaned one finger with alcohol before pressing it to the thing that looked like a pen that she called the lancet against my finger. She clicked the button on the side of the pen and it pricked my finger.

"Ouch!"

She put a drop of blood from my finger onto the end of the strip in the glucometer. Five seconds later a number appeared on the screen.

"Rose what did you last eat and at what time did you eat it?"

"French toast some bacon and a bowl of fruit at about 7:30."

"Cousin your blood pressure is too high and so is your blood sugar. Most likely they are a result of the pregnancy and the stress that you have been under over the last couple of months. The last few weeks have been particularly stressful."

"They have been. I felt so lost when he was diagnosed. Knowing that there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening just tore my heart out. It was so hard to watch him get weaker by the minute. I know that he is going to be my guide and I have and will see him but I miss his physical presence so much. I wish that he could be here when I have the babies so that he could hold them." I couldn't contain my feelings any longer. Dimitri held me while I cried. Sasha handed me a tissue.

"Rose a few nights ago He came to me in my dreams and he told me to tell you that one of his special abilities is that he can cross wards. So when you need him you can call him and he will be there. Why don't you try it now?" I took a few calming breaths.

"Adrian?" A pearly image formed next to us. Adrian looked almost transparent like any other ghost. He wrapped his arms around both Dimitri and I.

"Don't cry my Lil' Dhampir. I will be there when you give birth and any other time either of you need me."

"I am glad brother but I have to say I like the way you look in your dream-walks much better than as a ghost."

"Yeah I know. Besides I can change what I wear in my dream walks. As a ghost I am stuck in the clothes I wore when I passed away."

"Jeez Adrian, how did I fall in love with someone so vane?"

"You thought I was hot." I began to laugh real hard. I was no longer feeling sad.

"I love you Adrian thank you for cheering me up."

"Anytime either of you needs me just call." He disappeared. And I turned to Sasha.

"Thank you."

"I was just relaying the message. I don't know what he said but it sounded like he was cracking some jokes."

"He was being his cocky old self."

"Well now we have to get back to business. I don't want to put you on any medication but I want you to make some changes. First you need to cut the sweets from your diet. Also you need to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat. You may have fruits but try to have more vegetables than fruits. For the high blood pressure you need to lower your salt intake and start meditating. I want to see you back here in two weeks to see how you are doing."

"I will make sure she does what you tell her to do."

"Thank you Sasha."

We all left the office together. Each husband had an arm wrapped around their wife. Dimitri held Xander one arm and me in the other. As we walked Lissa gave me a funny look.

"Rose you look frustrated what did Dr Isham say to you?"

"My blood sugar and pressure are high and so I have to restrict my diet and meditate. So now Dimitri is going to be my Russian jailer again and make sure I do what I am told."

"Oh. " She giggled

"Rose what did you call me?"

"My Russian jailer, it's what I called you back in school when I was in trouble and you had to escort me everywhere and I was not allowed to do anything."

He just shook his head and gave me one of his lopsided smiles. We let the subject drop. I decided to wait till we were settled in our table at the café with our lunches in front of us before I brought up the conversation that Dimitri, Adrian and I had after the marriage acknowledgment.

"Um Lissa, I have to ask your help with something that Adrian wants me to do. I don't think you are going to like this but…."

* * *

Ok sorry for the cliffhanger but it is 3:43 am and I have to get up for work in a few hours. 4 year olds are going to duck tape me to the pole but it is worth it if I can finally get a post up.

What do you think will happen when Rose and Dimitri go to see Viktlor?

Is it too soon for Dimitri and Rose to be getting cosy and intamate again?

Was it a bit much to let Lissa and Mia both be pregnant at the same time?

What is Lissa going to feel about Rose talking to the man who kidnaped and torchered her?

Please review and let me know what you think.

Suzanna AKA the SnowGoose


	42. Opening Doors and getting a Note

Sorry for the late post. I have been having writing issues lately. I an not happy with story number two and I am not sure how to fix it. I have too much going on in my head with story number three and with this one which is story number one I am not betting much for this part of the story but I am not the type to jump ahead when I need to go through this part before I can expect you to understand the rest. by the way sorry if I am rambling but it is another late night post for me. Hopefully next week will be more productive because it is my one week off for the summer. yeah!

I do not Own Vampir academy but I have been writing this story so long that sometimes I feel like I do. Rachael Meed is the one behind it but that which is mine I share with you.

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Chapter 42: Opening Doors.

"Um Lissa, I have to ask your help with something that Adrian wants me to do. I don't think you are going to like this but I need you to keep an open mind."

"Ok?" I could feel her trying to search my mind to figure out what I was going to tell her so I quickly put up a wall.

"I need to talk to Viktor Dashkov." She dropped her fork and it landed loudly on her plate.

"Why on God's green earth would Adrian want you to talk to that that …?" I cut her off through the bond.

"_Calm down Lissa. People are watching the Queen yell and try not to use obscenities."_ She picked up her fork and composed herself. She lowered her voice to a low whisper and tried to speak calmly.

"Why does Adrian want you to go talk to the man who kidnapped and tortured me? Viktor Dashkov is the man who used magic against you and his brother, and then he publicly told everyone that Dimitri should be tried for statutory rape."

"Lissa he knows things. He is the one who explained to me the most about being shadow kissed."

"When did he do that?"

"When Dimitri and I went to go see him before the trial. He sent me a threatening note saying that if I didn't go see him he would expose the relationship between me and Dimitri. I showed it to Dimitri. He got us in to talk to talk to Viktor. I didn't tell you at the time because I couldn't tell anyone about the relationship. Then later I really didn't think about it much."

I could feel that she was hurt that I didn't tell her before. She tried to see things from my point of view. She was still hurt but she pushed that aside.

"What do you want my help with?"

"Well if the counsel won't tell us what prison he is in I need you to tell them to tell me."

"Your highness I don't have the same pull with the counsel that I once had. I am not sure that even my old friends will tell me. Even though Rose is your Head guardian she is still my wife and I am afraid that because of that they might not let her know anything either." Dimitri looked down at his chicken sandwich. He fiddled with a carrot stick. He was trying not to show that he was upset at how his standing in the Moroi/Dhampir society has dropped.

"Rose can't you do a conference call with him or something? I don't like the idea of you being in the same room with him."

"Me ether." Dimitri looked at me when he said this."

"I won't be able to tell if he is being truthful with me if I am not in his presence."

"Can't you get the information from the Books or from Bridget's journals?"

"Liss I can feel it in my soul that I need to talk to him."

"Fine first ask the guardian council for the information and if they don't want to give it to you then I will make them."

"Thank you Lissa." Though our bond I added. "_Hey Lissa, I also wanted you to know ahead of time what I was planning to do. You and I both know that I could get the information from them without them even knowing about it. I know that I don't need to hide things from you anymore. You are more than strong enough to handle anything I have to throw at you."_

"_Thank you Rose. I should hope I can handle it."_

"_Tatiana wouldn't have made you Queen if she didn't think so. I wouldn't have told you to take the offer if I didn't KNOW that you can han dle it."_

~oOo~

Apparently the guardian council doesn't think that; 'The ghost of my dead husband told me I have to' is a good enough reason to tell us were Viktor Dashkov is being held. Lissa herself had to go to the Council and insist that we be given the information.

Dimitri booked the flight for me and even packed for both me and Xander. I loved the fact that he was trying to make sure to do the little things that Adrian did for me. Helen would be going with us to help watch Xander while we were at the prison talking to Viktor. The morning we left for Alaska, I received a letter.

My Dear Rosemarie

I have heard that you are planning to visit me. Don't! It is not safe for you to come here. Please have me transferred to the court holding cells. I will comply with you and tell you everything that I know. Do not ignore my warning! Coming here could be a grave mistake.

You're Friend V.D.

I looked at the letter and crumpled it in disgust. Who did that bastard think he was dealing with? I know that he is trying to accomplish two things. One he probably wanted to get closer to Lissa and two he wanted to be out of maximum security where his cronies would probably break him out. I shoved the balled letter in my coat pocket. I tossed the rest of the mail back on the sided table where I knew Liss and Chris would take care of them for me.

"Dimitri, are you ready? I am getting antsy and I want to get this over with."

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you should use the restroom before you leave on a trip?"

"Airplanes have Potties on them." I said to him. "Besides I am the pregnant one. Yet you don't see me in the potty right now." Dimitri kissed me on my lips as he gently caressed my swollen belly. Then he kissed Xander's head before taking him from my hip. Helen walked into the foyer holding her bag. Lissa and the rest of the family came from the kitchen to wish us a safe trip.

Once the plain was up in the air Dimitri closed his eyes and played with his wedding ring. The family had re-infused it with all five elements and with my love energy as well.

"Are you seeing the ghosts?"

"Not seeing them but I feel there energy buzzing in my head." There were a lot of ghosts in the plain with us. They were trying to tell me about an attack that happened in a Resort Chalet in France.

"Ok guys I am going to have to ask most of you to leave. I just need one who speaks English to tell me the location of the chalet and the numbers of the dead and the numbers of the attacking Strigoi."

The ghosts began to disperse and I turned to Sonya Carp and asked her to keep other ghosts from bugging Dimitri. When there was just one ghost left from the chalet I began my questioning. He was the head guardian of the resort. After getting the information from him I called the Guardian council and gave them my report. I looked back at Dimitri who had taken his ring off and was watching the exchange between the ghost and me. There was a hint of sadness in his eye. The ghost left Sonya stayed behind but she kept some distance from Dimitri.

"Edvard was a good guardian. I am sad to see that he has fallen."

"He fought well and in his last hour he killed 7 Strigoi."

"Seven?"

"Yes. This was an organized attack the biggest one yet. Dimitri there must have been over 75 Strigoi."

"I heard you talking to Council. This is getting worse. The attacks have gotten closer and larger."

"I have to put a stop to it."

"Rose you cannot take on the Strigoi world on your own."

"I won't be on my own but I know I can't wait till I have all my kids and they are grown up. If I do there won't be any Moroi or Dhampirs left for them to defend. Viktor knows the answers and I am going to get them from him no matter what. And I am not going to go along with his little bargains."

"What bargains?"

"He sent me a letter. He said it's too dangerous for me to go to him and we should transfer him to the holding cells at court. He said that if we do; he will tell me anything I want to know."

"How come you didn't tell me about the letter earlier?"

"Because I just got it in today's mail and because I know he is just trying to get closer to a lower security location where his minions can free him and where he can get to Lissa."

"Roza, I am not so sure we are going about this the right way." A pearly figure appeared in the seat next to Dimitri.

"Lil' Dhampir, I don't feel right about this either."

"Look we are already starting our descent so we must already be there. I say we call his bluff and see where things go. There is no way I want him within 500 miles of the Queen. And besides Dimitri and I are both very well trained guardians and we can have ten guardians in the room with us if you want."

"Fine but if he moves even an inch in your direction I am going to kill him." Dimitri had his mask up but his hands were balled up.

"Be careful My Lil' Dhampir." Adrian kissed my cheek and hugged Dimitri before disappearing.

~oOo~

At the airport Dimitri had a rental car waiting for us. We hurried from the airport to the hotel. Dimitri had arranged for the hotel to be warded before we got there. We checked in and I was surprised to see a Moroi behind the counter. I didn't have my guardian mask up and she saw my shock.

"This is the closest hotel to the Prison. So when families come to visit they have to stay here. My mother opened this hotel when I was very small so she could be close to my father. She died a month after he did. I have been running it for the last seven years. My sister opened the diner across the street and it is open 24 seven."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say but she smiled at me warmly as she handed Dimitri the keys.

"By the way, I wanted to thank you guys for the wards. It makes me feel better knowing that they are there."

"I will see what I can do about keeping them maintained." Dimitri gave her a smile but I could see that he was concerned for her safety and that of her sister.

Dimitri brought all our bags in to our room. He put Helen's things in the adjoining room for her while I set up a travel crib for Xander. Dimitri went to walk the wards and add spirit to them. Helen went to the little diner across the street to get dinner for us. I lay down on the bed with Xander to nurse him. With my big twin belly and the fact that Xander is almost the size of a one year old it is a lot easier to nurse him lying down. He looked up at me and gave me a sleepy smile. I caressed his hair for several minutes. His emerald green eyes closing a little more with each blink. As I watched him sleep Adrian appeared sitting on the bed next to us.

"Little Dhampir, I am really worried about you going to the prison tomorrow. What if Viktor was being honest?"

"Adrian I think that he is just trying to get out of that hell hole but I promise you that if he makes so much as one false move towards me I will let Dimitri drop kick his butt into next week." I got up to put Xander in his crib.

"Just take care, my little Dhampir. I will be with you tomorrow." Adrian kissed my head and Xander's before disappearing. A few minutes later Dimitri and Helen came into the room with Dinner. I could tell that Dimitri was keyed up about tomorrow but he tried not to focus on it. Instead we ate our dinner with Helen and then watched a movie that Dimitri had brought. At about 9:00am Helen went off to bed leaving Dimitri and I alone. For the first time I felt awkward with him. I bit my lip and looked at him.

"So what now? Are we going to stare at each other all night or are we going to talk about this?"

"I don't know what to do Roza. I understand your reasons for wanting to go through with this but I have a bad feeling about it. I know you, there is no way I can change your mind. So I sit here and worry about you."

"Your right Comrade I am worried too but I am not going to change my plans." I felt the full weight of what I was doing. I was going to willingly speak to the man who used my best friend and tortured her with air. I knew that I didn't have a choice and I would have to face him. For now I felt small and all I wanted was to be held and loved.

"Dimitri I need you right now. Please hold me."

Dimitri stood up and picked me up off of the couch. He carried me into the bathroom and started the shower. Kissing me softly and sweetly he began to remove my clothing and his. We stepped into the shower and he gently massaged the tightness from my neck and back. He massaged my scalp as he washed and conditioned my hair. When he was done I took the washcloth and returned the favor. After turning off the water he pulled out a bottle of special vitamin infused oil and rubbed it into my skin.

Once out of the shower he sat me down and blew my hair dry before braiding it into one long braid down my back. He dressed me in a silky blue night shirt that went down to just below my thighs then he slipped into a matching pair of night pants. We said very little to each other but used our eyes to convey our feelings and thoughts. He carried me to the bed were we continued to kiss and caress each other. He sat up and pulled me into his lap without breaking our kisses. He pulled his mouth away from mine and started kissing around my neck and throat. He kissed and nibbled keeping his fangs from breaking the skin.

"Comrade" I whispered to him in a pleading voice. I felt him smile against my neck.

"Yes my Roza." Obediently his lips found my jugular and he kissed me there just before allowing his fangs to sink in. The energy that had been flowing through us building and building exploded within us as my blood filled his mouth. We both trembled from the power of it. I could feel the strength of Dimitri's love for me. His vampire kiss only lasted a minute but in that minute; I could feel the passion that he was holding in check for the sake of our unborn babies.

Panting from the exchange of love and energy we lay back down. I snuggled into his arms and as I drifted off I felt the heat and cool of him healing my neck. I fell asleep feeling safe, loved and cherished.

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I know this was a short chapter; only 5 pages on my computer.

Do you think that Dimitri's standing in Moroi / Dhampir society will ever get back to what it was?

What do you think Lissa feels about Rose going to see Viktor?

Why did Viktor send that note to Rose?

What will happen when Rose goes to see Viktor?

I hope you liked the chapter. please Review.

Suzanna


	43. Decent into Darkness

Thank you to TheApocolipticAngel who edited for me. I am sure that my readers will appriciate it.

I do not own VA but that which is mine I give to you.

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**Chapter 43: Decent into Darkness**

Dimitri's POV

The guardian at the prison gate checked our credentials. He looked at me with awe and it made me uncomfortable. I get stared enough at Court, the last thing I wanted was to deal with it all the way in Alaska.

"Pardon my bluntness but I was wondering if you are the guy who used to be…. Well… Strigoi?"

"Yes." I groan internally.

"Wow. I have to say that it is an honor to meet you. Is this the guardian who brought you back?"

I was too astonished by his reaction to say anything so I just nodded. I looked over at Roza and she gave me a loving smile as she answered him.

"Yes I did but I didn't do it alone. My best friend Vasilisa and his brother Lord Ivashkov both had a hand in helping me."

"It is an honor to meet you Guardian Hathaway. Your story is incredible. I wish someone loved me that much. Guardian Belikov I could only imagine that your experiences have made you that much more determined to protect; and from what I hear you were already fierce before you were taken."

"Thank you." I looked at Roza and her eyes were filled with pride and love.

"He was a Russian God when I met him and he has only gotten stronger and faster. No Stigoi could survive against him." She cupped my cheek in her hand. The Guardian chuckled and let us passed the gate.

"See Comrade, not everyone thinks the worst of you." We drove on through to the parking lot. When I helped her out of the car I asked her.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? We can try to arrange a video conference."

"I have to see him in person." Her voice, posture and even her guardian mask all shone with determination. If I couldn't talk her out of it the least I could do was stand by her and support her decision. I put my arm around her in a slightly protective manner. She smiled and caressed my hand that rested on her belly. I guess she realized that I am also worried about the babies.

A guardian walked out and checked our credentials again before bringing us into the building. Before being allowed past the main door we had to press our palms to a digital imaging pad. On the screen our pictures and security levels popped up. Roza had the highest security level of five along with a quote listing her as the head of the Queen's guard. Mine on the other hand was a three with a quote showing me as a lower level Royal guardian. To my surprise both of our forms showed our formal names of Lord and Lady Belikov Ivashkov. At our dream walk ceremony Adrian had asked that people call us by this name but it surprised me to see that it was taken to a more official level.

Once we were cleared to go on through to a private interrogation room. As we walked deeper into the prison; Roza began to tremble. I myself felt terribly anxious. There were spirit wielders nearby and I could feel them. It makes sense to me that some of the criminally insane prisoners might be spirit wilders who were not lucky enough to have a bondmate to help with the darkness and the insanity. I held her closer to me but she continued to tremble. From a distance I could hear Viktor yelling weakly at the Guardians in the Room.

"Tell her to leave! She can't come here! Tell her to leave!"

When we walked into the room Rose gave me a little shove. I know she would not want to appear vulnerable in front of Viktor Dashkov. I let her go but stayed close to her. Viktor was in a wheel chair with an oxygen tank attached to it and a tube wrapped around his ears and under his nose. His hands were cuffed to the chair.

"Belikov get her out of here! There is too much darkness here and she is taking it!"

I could see that it took a lot of energy for him to yell. He was serious. I looked over at Roza and her eyes were beginning to roll back I tried to catch her but touching her made me fly back like some cartoon character who has been shocked. Thankfully another guardian saw this and caught her just before she hit the floor. Her aura was so dark that she was completely obscured by a black cloud. Thankfully Adrian had taught me how to numb my sight (something he learned after he stopped drinking.) so that I could see her. There was no expression on her face and her body was completely limp. I reached out to her but Viktor spoke again.

"NO!"

This time he had no energy left to yell so his voice was almost a whisper but it was urgent none the less. It was his.

"Don't touch her. You are a spirit wielder and even though you shouldn't be able to take the darkness from her you are bound to her in another way. There is too much darkness for you to handle if you touch her you will absorb darkness from her. Touching her will incapacitate you and you will not be able to help her. Now that she is unconscious she is not taking in the darkness as fast. Dimitri I need to let her talk to me but not here. There is something you have at home that will be able to help her, what it is I don't yet know. If you take her home and come back for me later it will be too late. Death is coming for me soon."

My phone rang and I was going to ignore it but Viktor told me to get it. The caller ID said it was home.

"Hello?" I felt dumb but I didn't know what else to say. Christians voice screamed back at me.

"Dimitri what the hell happened to Rose. Lissa was sitting here on the couch with me and suddenly she screamed 'Rose' and passed out. Misty came running in out of nowhere; and pounced on Lissa. The cat passed out the moment she touched her."

"There are unbound spirit users here. Rose took their darkness and now she is unconscious. I have to get her out of here but Viktor is deteriorating quickly. I believe that he is not going to last long. What am I going to do? Rose needs to talk to him but it can't happen here."

"Last night Adrian walked with Lissa and I, and he told us to be prepared if anything happened to Rose. I know that I am not the ruler but I am still the king and according to Adrian there are rules on the books that say I can make decisions if the Queen is incapacitated. I can't believe that I am going to do this because Rose is going to kill me but you have to bring Dashkov back with you. You are already cleared on this end to bring him back. Have the Warden call Council and it will be cleared on your end. Now get Rose out of there." I hung up without another word. I motioned to the Guardian who was holding my Roza and another one who was standing beside him. Both followed me out the door.

"Tell the Warden to call Council I am taking the Prisoner back to court with me in 2 hours. Also I need to borrow him (I pointed to the guardian holding my wife), I cannot touch her right now so I need him to help me. I will pay for his flight back."

The guardian holding Roza ran along side of me as I retraced our steps out of the prison and back to the car. He laid her into the back seat and got into the passenger side. I had him use my cell phone to call Helen. I explained what happened and asked her to pack our things, and get Xander ready.

We got to the hotel and had to reposition Rose into a seated Position so that we could accommodate Helen and Xander with his car seat. I took Roza, Helen and Xander back to the private court jet that we came here in. We unloaded both passengers and luggage Aaron (the guardian's first name) called to see if I was to pick up Viktor but they said that they would send him to us. I called Christian and found out that Misty Blue woke up, and went on a frenzy for half an hour before passing out again. Lissa was also awake and feeling better.

Twenty minutes later a prison van came up the road. Victor was in a wheelchair as I had expected but what surprised me was that he was in a straight jacket. His feet were bound to the wheel chair with shackles. Four extra guardians were with him. To get him into the plane they had to free his feet and carry him onboard. I followed closely behind Viktor and the prison's Guardians. Rose was already in the plane I had her seat reclined fully so that she could lay down.

"Please Shackle me to the seat." Viktor's voice was soft and weak. I looked over at his face and could see that his eyes were dull. Even if he wanted to attack anyone he had no strength left to do it. The guardians did as he asked then took seats close to him but none of them spoke to him. The plane taxied up the tarmac and smoothly lifted off. My wedding ring was on my hand but I could see the faint image of Miss Carp I knew that she would keep the ghosts at bay. Standing against the wall looking more like a guardian than a ghost was Adrian. Through the bond that we still have he told me not to indicate that he was here. I knew that he would talk to me when we were alone. I turned to Viktor.

"Viktor, why did they put you in a straight jacket and shackles?"

"I asked them to. I want you to know that I'm not a threat to you or your wife. I am not a threat to our Queen either." He began to cough and I could hear his chest rattle.

"Viktor, do you have the strength to live till Rose can talk to you?" He gave me a wan smile.

"I am trying to hold on Guardian Belikov. I have much to give penance for. The least I can do, is give her the information she needs. She is the key to saving us but she needs to know how."

"Could you tell me what she needs to know?"

"I wish I could. I can only see the answers to the questions in her head. Remember when she came to see me after I had been caught? She was full of questions about the bond between her as Vasilisa. She didn't ask me about them she asked me about you. She asked me to end the lust charm and when I told her that it was already ended; she didn't believe me. She thought that I was still making her want you but I let her know that she felt for you what she felt for you because it was already in her heart. Then I started to tell her about being shadow kissed. I gave her answers to questions she didn't know to ask."

He again began to cough and it took several minutes before the coughing subsided and he could again talk.

"Dimitri, you have a very important place in her life. First of all it is not every day that someone finds the spouse of their heart. Did you know that you are part of the reason that she has become the Wielder of Life and Death? Somewhere in your lineage you have an Irish ancestor who was the Spirit wielding friend of the last Love Wielder. I called her a Love wielder because it is with the love in her that she brings forth life, and it is because she loves and wants to protect that she can bring forth death."

Again Viktor began to cough this time I got up and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator in the plane's galley. I opened it and held it to his lips. He drank a few sips before pulling his head up.

"We should get you out of the straight jacket." I began to unbuckle him but he shook his head.

"It would be better if I was still restrained when we land. Others might think that I am faking and I know that some have trust issues with you. It will be better for you if I remain tied down."

"As you wish." He closed his eyes for a moment then he looked at me.

"I know that you were bonded before she became pregnant. She would still have been able to get pregnant from you but she would not have begun to transform as she has. The first sign of her transformation was that she was pregnant within the hour after you made love to her. As you might remember from biology classes actual impregnation in humans, Dhampirs or Moroi does not happened for up to two days. The sperm take time to find the egg then the zygote takes time to implant itself. But for Rosemarie it was almost instantaneous. The second was her ability to communicate with that ghost. Being shadow kissed allows you to see ghosts but no shadow kissed has ever communicated with them."

I sat there listening to him with fascination. I have often wondered what triggered her transformation. I always wondered if she and I were meant to find each other. I have recently wondered if it was fate or coincidence for her to have met Adrian and what would have happened if she met him first.

"The fact that she met Adrian was no accident. Fate knew that she would need him. There was a good chance that you would be taken and he was supposed to be there to help her. Because you are bound to each other, her body was genetically altered to respond to you and yours to her. Adrian is genetically similar enough to you that she was able to bear his children but if she had married anyone else she would be barren. If she had met him first she may have fallen for him eventually but it is you who she was supposed to meet and you who she was supposed to bond with. It is your Job to stand by her side when she begins to battle just as it is his job to guide her."

Viktor again began to cough and I offered him more water. When his coughing subsided he closed his eyes to sleep. I sat there reflecting on the things that he had told me. As I reflected I listened to his labored breathing. His breaths became increasingly shallow and his heart began to beat erratically. I looked at his aura and it was beginning to fade. It was clear to me that he was dying, but I needed him to hang on till Roza could question him. The guardian who sat next to him was looking at him with concern. I spoke to the guardian.

"I am probably going to pass out in a minute. Please lay me next to my wife but don't let us touch. I will wake up in a few hours. If I am not awake before we get back to court tell the King and Queen that I healed the prisoner. Let them know that he was dying and I had no other choice." He nodded at me with a confused face.

I closed my eyes and put my hands on Viktor's chest. I could feel his heart struggle. I thought of all the good that he could do by giving information to Roza and with that thought I felt the joy of spirit. In my mind I could see the growths in his lungs I made them shrink to nothingness and allow air into them. His heart I saw beating with a frantic, faltering rhythm and I made it slow and find a regular beat. My intention had been to heal him enough to keep him alive for a few weeks longer but once I had begun I found it impossible to stop. I could feel his remorse and I wanted to give him the opportunity to make amends for his mistakes. I looked deeper into his cellular structure. Remembering what I had learned from Ivan's Medical classes I looked for the genetic marker that had mutated and caused his disease. When I found it I tried to make it mutate back to a normal state. It took a lot of energy but I think I saw it begin to change before I felt myself fall into a state of unconsciousness.

~oOo~

I opened my eyes and saw Iceberg blue eyes looking down on me with concern. I looked around and found myself in the living room on one of the couches. Roza was lying on the smaller couch with Misty Blue sitting on her chest licking her nose. Eddie and Janine were standing close to Lissa where she sat next to Rose. Ivan, Nicolai, Arthur, and the prison Guardians were all standing around the room with their eyes trained on a dark haired man in a straight jacket. I looked at him in amazement. He looked young and healthy again but he was the last of my concerns right now. I looked back at Christian.

"Roza?"

"She is getting better. Misty Blue and Lissa have both been working together to help her. Victor has told us what to so that neither the cat nor Lissa get hurt." I sat up and looked at Viktor.

"Thank you."

He nodded and went back to watching the cat as she ran in circles and bounced off the walls. When she was done she staggered to Lissa. Lissa picked up the cat and her Aura began to glow gold. When she was done she let the cat down and Misty went back to kiss Rose on the nose. I could see rose through the shadows now. There were still more shadows than any of the memories that Adrian had shown me.

I sat up and watched as Misty Blue pulled shadows from Rose. She would run off the darkness but this exhausted the poor creature. Lissa would heal Misty and then the whole cycle would start again. With each round the shadows would diminish a bit more. Lissa looked exhausted herself.

"How long have you been doing this?" Lissa looked at the wall clock.

"Five hours and forty five minutes." Lissa said warily

"Let me take over for you. It is not good for you to exert yourself like this." She stood and swayed a little. I caught her before she fell. Christian took her from my arms and carried her away. I had not noticed Sasha in the room till she left following Christian and Lissa.

"Momma, will you attend to the Queen?" My mother walked out of the room. I sighed. "I can't believe that you all let her do this for almost 6 hours."

"We have all tried but she wouldn't stop. When we tried to physically stop her she threatened us with incarceration and she… She shocked us! She even made Ivan fall back." Mia said defensively.

I gave a wry chuckle as I lifted Misty Blue into my lap. "Thank you Misty." I whispered into her fur as I thought of healing her and giving her energy. Misty jumped from my lap to the couch. She gently climbed on Roza's chest and began to nuzzle against her chin and cheeks.

"Rose has been worried that Spirit wielders don't have a way to use their element protectively. So Lissa and Rose and I have been working on it. I have had to play attacker and let me tell you Lissa has knocked me on my butt more than once. Rose will not be happy to hear she is using her element against the family that way."

I looked at Misty blue as she made her way to me again. I can't see animal auras but the poor little thing looked completely exhausted. I picked her up and held her to my chest. She was too tired to purr when I scratched her head and chin. I looked over Rose. Her shadows were much lighter now. Without looking at Viktor I spoke.

"Viktor, is it safe for me to heal her now?"

"Yes I do think it will be safe but it will probably knock you out." I nodded to let him know that I understood. Then I turned to the other guardian's

"Arthur could you please contact Council and have them send some court Guardians to guard our house and to relieve the prison guardians. Also I am going to put you in charge of making sure that the prisoner is taken care of properly. Hand feed him if you must but make sure he is fed and given a minute with Alice. I would send him to the holding cells tonight but we might need him so I want easy access. If Council gives you any problems have them speak with King Ozera Dragomir.

Eddie, would you please take Roza to our room for me. I think she will be more comfortable there. "

When I stood up Misty Blue protested trying to fight her way back to Rose. I know that I don't have the ability to talk to animals like Rose does but I decided to try anyway. I whispered into Misty's fur by her cheek and ear as is nuzzled her and healed her.

"Misty you need your rest. Rose loves you too much to let you kill yourself for her. I thank you for everything; because of you I can help her now. You can sleep with us once I take the rest of the darkness from her."

I carried the cat upstairs with me and placed her at the foot of the bed. Eddie held Rose up so that I could remove her coat from her. He closed his eyes and supported her body while I changed her out of the guardian uniform into a long night shirt.

"Thank you Eddie. I could have done it alone but I really didn't want to jostle her too much."

"No problem. If you don't get up at your usual time I am going to have Sasha look in on you guys. You did some major healing on Dashkov earlier. From what the guardians told me he was minutes from dying."

I crawled into bed with Roza brought her close to me. I wrapped a protective arm around her and her belly. I looked at all of her shadows and healed them from her. Suddenly I felt sick and anxious. Misty jumped up on me making me feel light and floaty. She jumped down to do her running around. I forced myself to stay awake and watch her. She collapsed mid-run and I rushed over to her. Her breathing was shallow and her little heart was slow. I closed my eyes and pictured her tired little heart. I gave it healing energy I then sent energy to her lungs. I held her as she returned to normal.

"Misty you are so much like my Roza. You have to help even if it puts you in mortal danger." I placed her in her favorite spot on Rose's belly. I again crawled into bed with Roza; falling asleep to the sound of Misty contentedly purring. I felt her licking my hand as I rested it near her on Roza's belly.

When I woke I could see the light of the dusky sky filtering in at the edge of the blinds. Misty had moved from her spot on Roza's belly to my hip. She was already over 4yrs old but she was a petit cat, not much bigger than an adolescent kitten. I have always had a fondness for Misty since the first time I met her. She spent many hours comforting me after my transformation back into a Dhampir. During those first days when I doubted that I was worthy of being loved she would stay by my side showing me that she found me worthy of her presence.

I have never realized how important this tiny little creature was to Rose. I know for a fact that even if Rose had been able to regain consciousness on her own; the amount of shadows she had taken would have driven her to instant insanity. I was still worried about her mental health but I feel very hopeful. I am also amazed at Misty's devotion to Roza. I am sure that she was fully willing to die if it meant she could save my Roza. I reached down to pet the ball of fur on my hip

I looked over at Roza. Her face was calm and peaceful. I leaned over and kissed her lips softly. When I pulled away she smiled without opening her eyes. I felt her hand tangle into my hair and she pulled me back down on her lips. I readjusted myself so I could hover over her careful not to put any of my weight on her belly. We kissed for a few minutes before pulling away and gazing in each other's eyes.

"I am mad at you Roza. You gave us a really bad scare."

"I thought it was a dream…Well more like a nightmare. What happened?"

"Viktor was telling the truth. We never thought about it but in the part of the prison where they house the criminally insane, there are a number of unbound spirit wielders. Apparently the interrogation room was just a wall away from the CI ward."

"I remember feeling the darkness and the sadness. I started to pull just a little bit but once I started to take it… well it just started to bombard me. I didn't know how to stop it. There was so much darkness that Adrian had trouble getting through it but he appeared in front of me for a split second and compelled me to stop. I don't remember anything after that."

There was a knock on the door. I put my robe on and answered the door. Janine was at the door so I let her in. She hugged me before rushing to Rose's side. Rose smiled as her mother began to touch her forehead and cheeks. When Janine spoke her voice was hard but I could still feel the love and concern in it.

"Rosemarie Hathaway the next time somebody warns you not to do something I want to listen to them. Or at least let the rest of us know what is going on. You don't know what it did to me to see you like that yesterday." She broke into a sob.

Recognizing the need for mother and daughter to talk privately, I gathered my things and went to take a long shower.

* * *

Why do you think that the formal last name that Adrian had given them has been added to their files; if it was something that was done during a dream walk?

Do you think that Viktor Daskov can be trusted?

Now that Viktor is better do you think he will go back to plotting.

Did Dimitri completly heal him or is it temporary like the healing that he got from Lissa years ago?

what do you think about Misty's devotion to Rose and Dimitri?

Are you pictureing Dimitri in the shower...? The Apocolyptic Angel is...snowgoose is... you know you are too.

Please review My niece and I would appreciate it.

Suzanna


	44. There Is More Than One Way?

We are comming closer to the end of my story and closer to the beginging of the true comencment of Rose's Journey. There will be no more than ten more chapters at them most but I will try to get it done in six. As I reflect back on my journey in writing this I really want to thank all those who have been with me though it. I have many faithful reviewers and I love you all. I have made friends with some of you, we have helped and encouraged each other in our stories. I have not counted them but I know that at this point I have created more charactors than I borrowed. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. .

I do not own Vampire Academy but that which is of my own creation I lovingly share with you.

Weeza, Tia loves you.

* * *

Chapter 44: There Is More Than One Way

After Dimitri left the room my mom and I had a good talk. Even though my relationship with her has progressively gotten better over the years since my first pregnancy; it was strange to have her behaving so…. Well motherly, with me. She is nurturing with the kids including Lissa's girls. I have to admit that it was nice to have her fuss over me. Too soon our talk was interrupted by the cries of my hungry son. Mom stayed to make sure I was fine getting up and walking on my own. Once I had Xander settled and nursing she gave me a hug and l leaned my head against her chest. She kissed the top of my head before leaving and she whispered "I love you more than my life, my little flower." They way she said it brought back a memory from my early childhood.

_Flashback_

Adam (he was the son of my mother's charge.) threw his ball up and it landed in a tree. We tried to throw rocks at it to knock it down but one of them fell back and hit him in the head. When he started to cry my mommy came running and swooped him into her arms and soothed him with a calm voice. She set him down on the lawn chair and ran into the house for an Icepack.

"Go up and get my ball."

"It's really high. Maybe we can wait and ask your mommy to come home, she wields air, maybe she can blow it out."

"Your Mother is my Guardian and that means that you have to do whatever I say." I looked up at the tree. I am a good climber but that is a very high and skinny tree. I looked back at Adam who just glared at me and pointed to the tree.

"They come first. They come first."

I kept whispering the mantra to myself over and over as I pulled myself from one limb to the next. The tree shook and quivered around me. I reached out to the limb where the ball was nestled but suddenly the wind blew hard causing the limbs to move out of my reach. With my balance lost I reached out trying to find something to catch myself before I fell. Pain shot through my right arm then I felt myself break though the tree and fall though open air. I hit the ground and everything went black.

When I opened my eyes my mother had me in her bed and she was sitting next to me holding an ice pack against the side of my head. Her hand was brushing though my hair. When I opened my eyes she spoke firmly but I could feel the warm feeling of her love.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, why did you climb up that tree?"

"Adam told me too."

"You don't have to do things just because he told you to."

"He said that because you're his guardian I have to listen to him. They come first, don't they?"

"Oh my little Rosie, Yes 'they come first' when it comes to protecting. As a guardian we must be willing to protect our Moroi even if we have to die trying but that doesn't mean that we are their slaves. You don't need to do anything for Adam."

I started to cry. Mommy held me and rocked me till I calmed down. I told her how Adam and his brother and sisters always made me do things for them. How they were always telling me that it was my job to do whatever they told me to do.

"Rosie, I need you to listen to me. You need to learn what it really means to be a Guardian. I am afraid that you won't learn it here so I am going to take you to a place where they can teach you. I have a friend there and she will watch you while I work."

"Ok mommy."

"I love you more than my life, my little flower."

She kissed my head and held me close to her while I fell asleep. Sometime during the night I woke up still in my mommy's arms. Her body was shaking and I could hear her crying softly. I didn't know what to do so I just laid there till sleep came over us both.

_End Flashback._

I realized now why my mother sent me away to school when I was still so little. I also realized that part of her heart broke the night she had to make that decision. Though I knew my mom loved me in her own way; realizing she loved me as intensely as I love my own children made me happy. I was still grinning from ear to ear as I dressed Xander for the day. I brought him with me to Theresa's room. I lifted him on the bed and let him play peek-a-boo with his grumpy sister.

"Roza, what has you so happy. I could feel you all the way in the other room." Dimitri wrapped his arms around me. From behind and caressed my belly. I leaned my head against him and looked up at him still smiling.

"I just realized that my mommy loves me."

"Roza of course she loves you. How could she not."

"Yeah I know she has always loved me but…. I just never knew that she LOVES me. She feels for me the way I feel for my babies. She sent me away for my own good. Her Moroi's children were treating me like a slave and she wanted me to learn that even though 'They come first'; I am not less than them. She wanted me to grow up with pride."

I looked down at my arm and traced the thin line that ran from my inner elbow to my wrist.

"I always wondered about that scar. How did you get it?" He rested his head on mine as he continued to hold me from behind.

"Adam, the youngest of the family mom guarded, told me to climb up a tree that was really tall and young. He wanted me to fetch a ball he tossed up. I lost my balance when the wind shook the tree, I fell nearly two stories. I tried to catch myself but I only managed to snag my skin on the bark. I ended up at St. Vlad's a couple of weeks later."

I turned around and snuggled into Dimitri's chest. He smelled so heavenly. I felt so safe and warm in his arms. If not for the fact that I was standing up; I would have gone to sleep.

"It is still really early, do you think I can put off my meeting with Dashkov till after breakfast? I am still exhausted and I could use another 20 -40 minutes of sleep."

"It looks to me as if our children have a similar idea." I looked back and Xander was snuggled up under the blanket and he and Theresa were holding each other. Dimitri picked me up and carried me back to our room. I took off my slippers and robe while he pulled down the quilt.

"I am going to check on things and I will be back to rest with you."

"Be back soon." He kissed my forehead and left the room. He was gone for only about ten minutes but I was already half asleep. He snuggled in with me and wrapped me in his arms.

**~oOo~**

Aaron POV

I have worked at the prison since I first graduated. I have lasted there longer than most guardians. Most only make it five years before begging to be transferred out. I was on my seventh year but I have to admit that I have begun wanting out. It is so depressing; every day you see the worst that our society has to offer. There is rarely anything to cut the monotony of our reutilized lives.

We get gossip about the larger Moroi world only when big things happen. It was big news when a Strigoi was turned back into a Dhampir. One of my collogue's had a friend, who worked at the academy that the former Strigoi worked before; he had been turned. He told us about the relationship between the guardian and his student. He told us a long story about how the girl married a Royal Moroi and had the child of her Mentor. He told us how even though she was married; her husband and she tried to find a fabled cure to turn him back. Little did we know that the man who held the answers was in our own prison? He told us that almost a year to the day she found a way to turn him. From that day on the three of them lived together. Despite the fact that they had an odd poly-amorous marriage; the story was so incredibly romantic.

When we learned that the Guardian who was formerly Strigoi was going to be coming to our prison with his wife to interview one of the prisoners we were so excited. We all vied to be allowed to accompany them on the interview. Since I had seniority I was one of the lucky ones. I was closest to Guardian Hathaway when she began to pass out. Both Guardian Belikov and I reached for her but he was repelled off of her so I was the one to keep her from falling to the ground.

It was because I happened to catch Guardian Hathaway that I am now here in this mansion at court. I have never been in such an environment in my life. Here in this house Dhampirs and Moroi are equals. The Queen herself lives here but it is not her home. It is the home of Lady Belikov Ivashkov, AKA Guardian Hathaway. This morning I had my breakfast in the dining room with a large mixed group of Dhampirs and Moroi. Queen Vasilisa and King Christian ate at the same table as her guardians. Abe Mazur was also at the table. Every one used first names or pet names with each other. To everyone there Queen Vasilisa was just Lissa. King Christian was Chris or Pyro. The Queen's daughters referred to her guardians as Aunt and Uncle. At some point in the morning Princess Tatiana came to check on Guardian Hathaway and her unborn babies. I never felt more at home anywhere than I did here in this home.

**~o~**

I walked in the room with Guardian Castile and Guardian Belikov. The prisoner was still wearing the straight jacket, his feet still restrained against his wheel chair. Someone had turned him so he could look out the window. I took my place along the wall. Castile turned the wheelchair around while Guardian Belikov took a seat facing him.

It had been really amazing to watch Guardian Belikov heal Viktor Dashkov. I had been sitting just next to him when his breathing became ragged and shallow. I knew he was taking his last breaths. The moment that Dimitri Belikov put his hands on the man's chest his breathing changed. The color of his hair changed from white to black, it became shiny, full and healthy looking. Dhampirs don't wield magic so I am still confused about how he did it.

"How are you today, Victor?" Guardian Belikov's voice was stern and strong but there was a hint of compassion in it.

"Much better than I had expected. Thank you for healing me. From what the doctor tells me, my lungs sound clear. I will have to wait till I am transferred to the holding cells before she can do an x-ray but she suspects that you have cured my cancer. She took some blood so that she could see how far you were able to take my other illnesses."

"You are welcome. I must be honest; my intention was to heal you enough that you might live a few weeks more. While I was working on regulating your heartbeat I felt your remorse and I wanted to give you the time to try to make amends."

"That is a gift that I am not worthy of."

"Then I suggest you make yourself worthy."

"How is Rosemarie? I hope she doesn't suffer any effects from her brush with the darkness."

"So far she seems fine but I will keep an eye on her. She will be down to talk with you in a little while. I wanted to remind you to behave yourself."

"I promise to behave." He stayed quiet for several minutes looking at Guardian Belikov. "You are right things are going to have to move much faster. We are running out of time. The Strigoi are waging a war against us, they are learning to work together and they are growing in numbers."

"Are we too late to stop it?"

"I don't know."

There was a knock on the door and Belikov stood up to answer it. He opened the door only wide enough for himself to step out. He left the door ajar and I could see both Guardian Hathaway and Queen Vasilisa standing side by side. He brought them farther from the door but from my position I could both see and hear them."

"Your Highness, you should not be here. He has been restored to good health and though he is confined it would be reckless for us to let him near you."

I believe he is thinking more for her emotional safety than for her physical. I have to admit that I admire both Guardian Belikov and his wife. They have a balance of having a loving relationship with each other and protecting their Moroi. They care about the wellbeing as well as the safety of everyone around them.

"Dimitri I already tried to explain that to her but she gave me a Royal order to bring her with me. I tried to convince her to just slip into my head and observe but she wants to be there in person."

The frustration was clear in both Guardian Hathaway's voice and facial expression. Her desire to protect the Queen is so clear in her face and her demeanor. I heard that our new queen and her head guardian are bonded. I thought that bonds were just myth.

"First of all Dimitri, call me Lissa, you are my family; it is ok to treat me like a sister. I trust that my guardians will protect me. You may not be my sanctioned guardian any more but I trust you with my life. I want to sit in on the interview, I was one of the victims of his crime I have the right to face my attacker and as the Queen I demand it." Though she was verbally putting her foot down on the matter I could tell that she was really wanting his consent.

Wow! I can't imagine having such a close relationship with our monarch. They act like family with each other.

"Lissa if I could, I would lock you up in a room before letting you near him. I wish I could keep Rose away from him too." He kissed guardian Hathaway on her lips lightly then the Queen on her forehead. "Very well you can sit in but if I give the word; you have to leave the room. Hey does Christian know about this?"

Queen Vasilisa smiled at Guardian Belikov, she looked into his eyes.

"Yes he knows; and he also knows I can't be talked out of it. So he is in the nursery playing with your children and trying not to think about it."

"Are you sure you want to trust him. You would be much safer if you observed through the bond."

"I know that when you were healing him you could feel his emotions. I saw how Misty Blue reacted to him when they brought him in the house. And I know that he helped me save my best friend. If you really didn't trust him you would have had him sent to the holding cells at court. I know that you are trying to be cautious and if it makes you feel better I will stay near the door. If you tell me to leave I will."

"Ok." He turned to his wife. Rose, are you ready to talk to him?"

Guardian Hathaway slipped into Guardian mode and nodded her head. Guardian Belikov entered first followed by his wife then the Queen. Hathaway took the seat closest to the prisoner. Belikov stood behind her and the Queen sat in seat next to me.

"Do you know why I needed to talk to you?"

"It has to do with your Journey as the Wielder of Life and Death. You want to know how to proceed. But first I have to answer the question your father tried to learn from me."

"I don't need to waste time on that; I figured it out on my own. Dimitri is here and he has had his soul returned to him." There was anger and resentment hidden in her voice.

"Oh but you do need to know because they way you brought him back was just for him. Now you need to know the other two ways."

"There are three ways to turn a Strigoi?"

"Yes. I could not give you the answer before because if I did then you would have turned him back into a Dhampir. He needed to be mostly Moroi so that he could wield Spirit. I didn't know the reason at the time. I just knew that I was not supposed to tell you the answer."

Oh that is interesting. So Guardian Belikov is not half human half Moroi like a normal Dhampir? He can wield Spirit. This explains how he healed Dashkov.

The prisoner continued talking to Guardian Hathaway.

"The second way is the way that my brother once did it. He took a normal stake and infused it with spirit. Then he himself plunged the stake into the heart of the Strigoi. This took a lot of energy and he took days to recover. If he had the elemental wielders who had infused his take with him He could have drawn power from them. I believe he could have turned as many as five Strigoi without weakening so much.  
The last way you have come close to doing before. When you wield death and you touch a Strigoi anywhere on the trunk of his body; you displace the Demon. This allows the soul to choose to return to the body or leave to take its final rest. They will always choose to die rather than return to the body and deal with the guilt of what the Stigoi committed in their body. You must say a prayer of petition for them as you wield, you must pray for God to forgive them and for them to accept the grace of forgiveness."

"The last time I nearly died. I know that I am supposed to use my elements but how do I do that?"

"You must form a hunting pack consisting of yourself and the other five elements as well as however may Dhampirs you need to protect your elements. Your pack is to be armed with golden stakes that are infused only with your magic as well as normal stakes.  
If you make contact with small numbers of Strigoi then only you need to battle. They are to channel their elemental magic to you giving you strength while you wield. If you encounter large numbers and they must battle then they use the gold stakes with the intent to stun the Strigoi; till you can get there to wield death on them. If you tire before you are able to transform them all then the silver stakes can be used to finish off the rest and get you back to safety.  
Using silver infused with your magic on the hands of your elements and silver on your body that is infused with their magic will increase your ability to absorb the magic that they channel to you. This will give you more stamina and decrease the energy they need to expend. Also should a Strigoi touch the silver on you then it will stun them momentarily as if they received a shock; this may give you the opening to wield."

"I have been told that I must have six children; I am carrying child three and four, but I still need to give birth to five and six. Where do my children fit in?"

Poor girl she is on her third pregnancy but she looks like she couldn't be more than 19 or 20.

"They were supposed to be your elements."

"Were?"

"You know that the war is escalating. There is no time for you to wait till your children to be born and grow up. You still need to bring forth all six but when their time comes; they will be their own pack. For now you must form a pack and fill it as much as you can with people that you trust. Preferably with people who are family to you. You must train them to fight like guardians. They must learn to channel magic to you while they fight. You must learn to fight like a wielder and not like a guardian. Once you have given birth to all of your children and they are old enough for you to leave them for a few days time; then will be your time to hunt."

"What about the un-promised guardians?"

"With them you will form packs with spirit wielders and Moroi elemental fighters. Teach them to fight together and help them to form tight nit units. Whatever transformations they make will have to come to you. Help them heal and pray for them as you will for those you transform. As for the Spirit wielders it is up to you and your cat to keep them from going insane."

Viktor Dashkov looked at The Queen. Every Guardian in the room got in a ready stance, but waited for him to make a false move.

"I am very pleased to see that you have ascended to the throne. You will accomplish so much. You will be a much better ruler than I would have. I was wrong for doing those things to you and your friends. I am sorry for what I did to my own child. I thought I would be able to turn her back so at the time it didn't seem so wrong. Now I shudder to think how her poor soul must have suffered though those few hours before Guardian Belikov saved her." Silence filled the room for several minutes. Then a quiet voice spoke out.

"Uncle, I was right wasn't I?"

"Yes Vasilisa, soon you will lose her as your personal guardian. Remember that what she will be leaving to protect not only you but your people too. When you were crowned and she promised her oath to you; she promised her service to protect you and your people. That is exactly what she will be doing."

Guardian Hathaway took her gaze from Viktor Dashkov to Queen Vasilisa.

"Rose I always knew that you were meant to be so much more than an ordinary anything. You are my sister and my bondmate. As the Queen of the Moroi and Dhampir world I pledge my oath to you; if We can be of service to you and help you with your journey then We will do so."

"Oh Liss, I love you. I will always do anything to protect you." Guardian Hathaway went over to hug Queen Vasilisa.

"Damn Pregnancy hormones." They both had tears in their eyes. Guardian Hathaway wiped away the tears from The Queen's cheek.

"I know." The Queen placed a hand on her own stomach and did a half laugh half sob

"Rosemarie, it looks as if your powers to bring forth life have begun to affect those around you. You should warn your mother to be careful; unless she and your father want to give you a sibling. Belikov, your sisters are behaving themselves so you don't need to worry about them. Guardian Castile congratulations on your wife's pregnancy."

"I am why Mia and Lissa are pregnant?"

"Well I am sure that their husbands had a large part in it but yes. I suspect that your output of the magic you wield to your loved ones on a daily basis increased when you began to worry about Lord Ivashkov. This increase of the life side of your magic has brought fertility to your household. You might notice this spring that life is abundant around you." He smiled warmly at her and she returned his smile. In a normal non commanding voice the queen spoke.

"It is lunch time and I think we should take a break. Dimitri, could we please take the straight jacket off; and let him eat."

"Vasilisa, I asked for the straight jacket. I want you to know that I am not a danger to you or your loved ones."

"Uncle I can read your Aura, I know that even though you have been restored to health you are not a danger to me. I won't release you from the punishment that you have earned but I will insist that you have some dignity." She wrapped her arm around Guardian Hathaway and walked out the door with her.

Guardian Belikov took the straight jacket off of Viktor Dashkov. He left the room for several minutes but returned with a tray of food and the feeder. The feeder was an older woman. She sat in the seat in front of Dashkov. He leaned forward for the bite. I noticed that Guardian Belikov cringed at the sight and his face paled briefly. When Dashkov was done he placed the tray on a stand in front of him. He gave him a cup of soup, a half sandwich and some carrot sticks. There were no utensils of any kind on the tray.

"Have a good lunch Viktor. Thank you for sharing this information with us." He turned to the feeder and placed his hand under her arm to help her stand. "Come on Alice. Let's get you some lunch." She smiled at him as she swayed slightly from her endorphin high.

I want to transfer to court. I would love to get to know this incredible family.

* * *

When I first started this story I had only two ways to change a strigoi but I had to adjust it because of SB but I think it worked well.

I have plans for Aaron so I hope you dont mine having him around.

I can't think of any quiz questions. Today was the first day of water play at the preschool and I have been out in the hot sun so I guess my noodle is a bit fried. I hope you liked it and PLEESE REVIEW.

Suzanna. AKA SnowGoose


	45. Healing

Ok I have gotten some criticism that I would like to address.

One person has pointed out to me that for a teacher I have bad spelling. I admit that my spelling and punctuation skills are atrocious. Please forgive me I do try my best and I must say that though I misspell things here and there I am not as bad as some others posting stories. My beta reader never got back to me after the first chapter which she never sent me the corrected version of; so my story is not edited by anyone other than me and very occasionally my niece.

The second criticism is one I have gotten several times. The names I choose for the children are old fashioned names. I guess they may be but they are names I like. I am 38 so that means I am at least 20 years older than most of my readers. Theresa is the name of the niece who got me writing and I have taught an Alexander who was very sweet. The nice thing about writing a story is that you can do things your own way.

Sorry for my rant.

I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you and I hope that you accept it with a willing heart.

* * *

**Chapter 45: Healing**

**Rose POV**

Part of me knew that I was safe at home and in Dimitri's arms, but my mind kept taking me back to the prison. I could feel them calling to me, so many spirit wielders suffering from the madness of their gift. I walked around the ward for the criminally insane. I looked in the windows of each cell. The occupants would be sitting staring at walls or screaming while rocking back and forth. I walk to the last window, I know that I shouldn't look in but I can't stop myself. Inside there is a blond woman sitting in a fetal position in the middle of her rubber mat. Her hair is matted to her head and she has her face buried in her knees. She must feel my presence because she lifted her head to look at me. There are tears streaking her face and scratch marks like the ones that Mrs. Carp used to have. Her jade green eyes are wide with desperation.

I sat up sobbing uncontrollably. My dream had been so realistic and it was hard to shake the image of Lissa rotting in prison. Dimitri pulled me into his lap and brushed my hair from my face. He held me gently while I cried. When I had calmed down from the shock of my dream he asked me what was wrong.

"What has you so upset, please tell me?"

"I have to help the spirit wielders in the prisons. I can feel them suffering. It is not fair for them to suffer the darkness when I can take it from them."

"Rose, you can't think about going back there."

"I haven't figured out how to do it but I have to. What if Lissa didn't have me? She would eventually go mad. Mrs. Carp used to hurt herself like Lissa did. She used to scratch her face near her hairline. She went Strigoi to get away from spirit's darkness. You have never had to deal with the darkness for very long. You have always had me to take it from you. Even when you healed Viktor, I felt the darkness though our bond, I may have been unconscious but I was still able to take it from you. I had to; you used too much spirit and it was going to make you sick."

"Roza they are locked up because they have done horrible crimes." Memories of my worst brush with darkness came tumbling back to me. I began to tremble as I whispered my reply.

"Remember the night that the mana group attacked Lissa. Remember how I attacked Jessie, I kept saying I was going to kill him. If you were not there to stop me I would have killed him. I have no doubt in my mind that I would have killed him; in fact I almost did. According to something Lissa once told me he would not have lived through the night if she hadn't healed him while you took me away. I could have been locked away for murder; because I was filled with darkness."

He held me close and rocked me while I cried some more.

"I see your point. I will talk with Adrian and see if he can help me figure this out. In the meantime you need to rest my Roza." He pulled me down with him and continued to hold me in his arms. He began to sing me a Russian lullaby while he rubbed my back. I drifted back to sleep.

**~oOo~  
**  
**a month later**

March 20th

Dear Sydney

I cannot tell you how good it was to get your letter. I miss you too. How funny that we would have ever become friends; but I am glad that we did. I was surprised that you knew about the incident at the prison and Viktor Dashkov being transferred to court. I guess I should not be too surprised since you told me that you guys keep a very close eye on the Moroi and Dhampirs. I am doing fairly well; I guess as well as can be expected.

I am glad to hear about your upcoming wedding. Thank you for inviting me; I know that must have been a difficult thing considering that my husband and I are such 'evil creatures of the night.' I can't even begin to imagine what your family thought about our friendship let alone you inviting me to your wedding.

I wish I could go and watch you walk down the aisle. Unfortunately I am confined to home for the duration of my pregnancy. From the very start of this pregnancy I have been under far too much stress and it has taken a toll on my health. Taking so much darkness all at once at the prison has put me over the edge. Once I get to my seventh month I am going to be put on bed rest. Can you imagine me on bed rest? I think that will be more stressful than relaxing.

For now I am allowed to wander about my house and property but I am not allowed to go to work at court. Tasha Ozera and King Christian (I still can't get used to that.) have taken over my work with the defensive magic and integrated fighting programs. I miss my work but Chris lets me know what is going on.

I sent Dimitri, Oksana and Mark to the three different prisons to find spirit wielders. Yes I know that it seems crazy but I have to try to heal them. I guess you can say that I am paying penance for sins that I was saved from committing. In all they found thirteen Spirit wielders. Don't worry the security around the court holding cells have been increased for the safety of the humans who live by as well as for ours.

Once they are transferred here then one at a time I will take the shadows from them. Then they will have psychiatric help. Depending on the crime that they committed and what the victims or the families of the victims say they may be retried. I know that it might be a long shot but maybe some of them can be saved and rehabilitated.

Lissa is having a small academy built adjacent to court so that we can bring spirit wielders here for instruction. It will have a lower campus for the younger children who live at court Arianna and Isabela will finally have a proper school to go to. For now the upper campus will be mostly for the spirit wielders but as the younger children get older they will be able to attend there as well. Oksana and Mark have moved to court so that they can teach. Dimitri will also be teaching as will two of my favorite students; Austin Smith and Kealiiwai Gomez.

In a few days Dimitri will be leaving with Oksana and Mark again. They are going to go to all the academies and explain to the magic teachers what to look for in a Spirit wielder and they are also going to check the aura's of any possible candidates.

Sydney, I am scared. I am supposed to save everyone from this war with the Strigoi but I don't know if I am strong enough. There is so much I have to do but it is all going to take time. I don't know how much time we have. Every morning I go for a walk and find out the moves of the Strigoi. I have been able to stop only about half of the attacks that they plan. Sometimes I hear about things after they happen. I know that this might sound strange coming from me but could you pray for me. I really don't care what deity you pray to; just pray for me please.

Your friend

Rose "The evil creature of the night" Hathaway

**~oOo~  
**  
**Two and a half months later**

"Sasha, please tell me I don't need to be on bed rest. I don't think I can handle it."

"Sorry cousin, your blood pressure is better but your gestational diabetes still has me worried. Add that to the fact that you are having twins and I want to err on the side of caution." Adrian spoke up and Dimitri and I both looked at him.

"Lil' Dhampir you know that you want to take care of those babies. I know that this is hard for you but once you get to hold them it will be worth it."

"Adrian, shut it. I know you're trying to make me feel better but it's not working." Sasha looked to the place near me that Dimitri and I were looking.

"I should have known he would be here." "Adrian I miss you cousin. Please dream walk with me soon so we can chat." Adrian asked Dimitri to relay his message.

"He will visit you tonight Sasha; and he misses you to." Sasha wiped her eye and handed me a tissue so I could wipe mine too.

"Rose why are you crying, you get to see me every few days?"

"Adrian she is sad because even if she gets to see you often it is not the same and she misses the relationship you shared. It is different now and even though she has me she still misses you. Even I have to admit that you were a very passionate couple."

Adrian gave Dimitri a hug and he gave me a kiss on my forehead. I felt a little feathery touch.

"I love you, my little Dhampir. You are so beautiful and if I were alive I would still desire you. You loved me so well while I was alive, that I left life feeling fulfilled. In this existence I don't feel desire; I only feel love. I want you and Dimitri to feel free to physically express your love for each other without guilt. It would make me happy to know that you are both happy."

"What is he saying to you?" Dimitri answered Sasha's question by telling her almost verbatim what Adrian had said to me.

"There might be a bit of a problem with that. I know that you have been abstaining till after the twins are born. Rose your body needs a break. Six weeks between pregnancies is not enough. This pregnancy has been so hard on you that I am afraid that it might be detrimental to your health and the health of the baby if you get pregnant too soon. As you know hormonal contraceptives don't work on Moroi and Dhampirs. I can give you spermicidal suppositories or you could use a barrier method such as condoms or a diaphragm."

I looked at Dimitri, he locked eyes with me and we had a little conversation with our eyes. I don't want to have anything between us when we make love again. I don't really want to get pregnant again so soon especially if it might be bad for the baby. I could see his desire for me in his eyes as it warred with his desire to take care of me. His eyes told me that he felt the same that I did. When we finally make love again he wants it to be just him and I with nothing between us.

"Sasha, how long do you want Rose to wait before having another child?"

"I know that it sounds like a long time but I would like her to take a year off."

"A year, how am I supposed to survive a year? Do you see the hunk I sleep next to?"

"Little Dhampir you know that there are other things you can do?" I just shot Adrian a look before giving one to Dimitri because of the smirk on his face. I am sure that his mind had wondered to those other things.

"Sasha is there anything else you want me to do, or not do?"

"After you have the babies I want you to go back to training. You will have to take it easy at first because after all the bed rest you will be a bit out of shape. Also I want you to add some Yoga or palaties to your routine. This will help you with dealing with stress, and getting back in shape faster. I want you to stay on the restricted diet till the hypertension and gestational diabetes are both gone."

"My Russian Jailer won't let me eat any bread or anything with refined sugar. They have stopped using salt when cooking and I am not allowed to touch the salt shaker. Sparky almost lost a hand when he walked by eating a chocolate doughnut. God, I could kill for a chocolate doughnut."

"Roza, it isn't forever. I promise that as soon as you are allowed I will bring you a doughnut and some hot chocolate."

"You better Comrade or you might find yourself waiting longer than a year."

"I should get back home, but I will be back to check on you in a week."

"Please come by during the week for dinner. I miss Andrew and the kids."

"Andrew has been working evening shifts lately but he has Wednesday off so we can come then."

We said our goodbyes to Sasha. Dimitri walked her out since I was not allowed to leave my room. He came back and cuddled next to me. He had his hand over my belly. The babies were very active right now and it was making me very uncomfortable. He began talking to my belly.

"Zdravstvuĭte, deti moi, vy hotite uslyshatʹ papa spoyu tebe pesnyu?" I smiled at him and answered.

"I think they would love to have daddy sing to them." Hearing my reply made him smile because I have been working ver hard on learning Russian. He started to sing a sweet lullaby to them. Soon they were settled down and I drifted off to sleep in Dimitri's arms listening to him sing.

Before I knew it the weekend was over and it was Monday morning. From the bed I watched Dimitri get dressed in his guardian uniform.

"I wish you didn't have to leave but at least I know that Lissa is safe. Also I might stand a chance of moving around today."

"Don't count on it. Your Russian jailer has deputies." As if on cue there was a knock on my door. Dimitri opened it and both Ivan and Nikolai walked in. I looked at them and nearly choked on the breakfast that Dimitri had brought me.

"No way, Dimitri this is not fair. I am pregnant not incapacitated. There is no way I am going to spend the next two months in this bed. I don't care how many Russian Jailers you have guarding me!" He laughed at my reaction. Nikolai gave Ivan a bill but I couldn't see the amount. Figures they would make a bet over how I would react.

"Adrian said you would have a fit. He said that you hate being the only guardians with guardians."

"You should have listened to him." I tossed his pillow at him. It would have hit him in the head but he caught it.

"Relax Roza, if you like you can hang out in the family room where you can be close to the action and be near the kids. Anywhere you want to go one of the guys will carry you. Even if you want to take a walk beyond the wards to talk to Sonya Carp; they will take you."

"Fine." I handed my tray to Dimitri and rolled over. He leaned over to kiss me. I was upset with him but since I believe you should never let a loved one leave without letting them know how much you love them; I kissed him back.

"Have a good day my Roza"

"You to, Comrade." I watched him walk out the door.

~~ four hours later, in the family room.~~~

"Ivan have I told you how much this sucks."

"Yes you have." He lifted is head from his book and gave me a little smirk.

"I never realized how much I don't care for television. Theresa is at school, Xander is asleep and everyone is busy doing their thing." I looked at the book in his hand. "What are you reading?

"The Last Juror by John Grisham; he mostly writes legal Drama's"

"Sounds boring." Ivan shook his head.

"It beets watching you stare at walls."

I looked over at the book that Dimitri had left on the end table. It was one of his western novels. I chuckled to myself 'My God am I that bored?' Sadly the answer was yes. I flipped it to the first page and began to read. To my astonishment it wasn't that bad. It was about a good old fashioned upstanding sheriff in some dusty town. A mysterious young girl comes to town and takes a job as a dancer in the saloon. He falls instantly in love with her but doesn't act on it because it would be scandalous for the sheriff to court a saloon girl. Hmm, funny how art imitates life. I passed my day reading and playing with Xander.

At five thirty the working part of my family came home. I was so happy to see them and find out how things were going. The court academy was already half finished. Lissa had Moroi/Dhampir construction workers building during Moroi day hours and Human's working on it during Human daytime. The two crews never interacted and the humans were none the wiser.

Chris told me that Tasha was just finished evaluating all the European Academies and that she had good reports on almost all of them. He also told me that she wanted to thank me for suggesting that Guardian Aaron Post take the position as her guardian. I had a feeling she would like him. He looked a little like Dimitri and he was just couple of years older. Aaron has a funny personality and takes Guarding very seriously.

After the Dream Ceremony that Adrian had given us Tasha had accepted that Dimitri and I are a forever thing. Her attitude towards me changed overnight and thought I will probably never be able to fully trust her I have forgiven her for the past. Dimitri has a harder time than I do. He avoids being alone in a room with her and when she visits he doesn't leave my side.

Dimitri looked like he had something on his mind.

"Roza, tomorrow I am going to bring another Spirit wielder for you to heal. This time I am also bringing her shadow kissed friend. Apparently they have been in a somewhat similar situation as you and Lissa. The Spirit wilder Jasmine, and her friend Emma, were in a fire at Jasmine's home. Emma got her out and went back for her little sister Jessica. She got the little one out too but she collapsed from smoke inhalation and died. Jasmine saved her without knowing she did. Three months later they ran away from their Academy They were found and brought back after five months on the run. They Ran away again because of the amount of teasing that they got for acting strange. Now a year later they have been found living homeless. They have been though a lot for such young girls. They are arriving tomorrow and I will bring them straight here to you. Is it ok if they stay here for a few weeks till we can figure out what to do with them?"

"Of course Dimitri we will help them in any way we can. Is it just Jasmine and Emma coming or is Jessica coming as well?"

"Jessica is still in the academy in California but the girls have expressed the wish to be together."

"Until we figure out a more permanent solution I would love to have the three of them here. And if need be…."

"I know what you are thinking my Roza and you can stop thinking it. You have your hands full as it is with Theresa and Alexander. Soon your hands are going to be twice as full. Once the school is opened there will be dorms that they can live in."

**~O~**

**The nex day**

I was sitting on the couch reading the rest of Dimitri's book when I felt him walk in the room. I was too engrossed in the book to look up.

"Hello there, Comrade."

"Is that one of my books you are reading?"

"Yuppers it is amazing what extreme boredom will do to a girl."

He gently took the book out of my hand. When I looked up to protest he kissed me sweetly.

"I brought guests." I looked over to the door and there stood two young girls. The taller of the two had almost black hair and jade green eyes. She must be Jasmine. Her shorter Dhampir friend had sandy hair and hazel eyes; this must be Emma. I took an imediate liking to Emma.

"The Russian guy is right you are really knocked up." Emma the dhampir was the outspoken one. I laughed at her phrasing and looked at Dimitri with a questioning gaze. I felt my eyebrow go up just a little but ignored it.

"I told them that you are bed rest do to being in the last stages of a difficult pregnancy." I smiled at him then turned to the girls.

"Would you girls care for something to drink? We have some fresh fruit punch made with real fruit this morning, and some Ice tea."

"Fruit Punch for both of us." Emma spoke for Jasmine as well. I noticed that Jasmine stayed slightly behind Emma and Emma was alert and on guard. It made me think of how I was when Lissa and I ran away. Before I could get them settled and comfortable; one of the babies streached and pressed against my bladder.

"Dimitri I have to go to the restroom, could you help me up? Ivan if you could walk me there; then please bring the drinks for us, including yourself." Dimitri helped me up but gave a protest about me walking. When I waddled in a few minutes later the girls were seated on one of the smaller couches. Ivan helped me back into my seat. I sat with my back to the armrest so that I could have the girls sit next to me and hold my hands.

"I assume they explained to you why you are here to see me." Again Emma spoke for the both of them.

"Russian guy said that you can take away the darkness and craziness from us." I tryed not to laugh at her calling Dimitri Russian Guy.

"Yes and you will also be staying with us here for a while. In a week the school year at St. John's will be over and Jessica will be coming here as well."

"So how do you take the darkness from us?"

"I have to show you as I do it. I know that you will go first Emma, because I would have done the same thing with Liss. I am shadow kissed like you are."

"Shadow Kissed?" I gave a sad sigh. I remember back when I had no answers.

"Sweetie I know that you are bonded to your friend. I am Also bonded to my best friend. I am sure you have been hearing people call Jasmine a spirit wielder. My best friend is also a spirit wielder and when we were fifteen years old we were in an auto accident. I died with the rest of her family but she saved me with magic she didn't even know she had. That is how we became bonded. When she used her magic it caused her to go a little crazy. I could pull some of that from her but it made me a little crazy instead. You and I are what is called shadow kissed because we can take the shadows away from the person we are bonded to; our aura (a sphere of light that surrounds us but only some people can see ) shows the shaddows we take. Let me ask my friend if she has time tonight to sit with us and help me tell you our story and answer your questions."

I gave Dimitri a look asking him to explain what I was doing. Then I slipped into Lissa's head. She was at her desk working on the resumes of potential teachers for our academy.

"_Liss, I am with Jasmine and Emma. They know almost nothing about what is happened to them. Could you help me with them tonight?"_

"_I would be happy to. Besides we have not really gotten much of a chance to be together since I got crowned."_

"_Jeez Liss you would think being crowned was a bad thing."_

"_Sometimes I think it is. You have no idea how hard it is to choose the right thing for the people when you have to also try to keep them happy." _

"_See you at home tonight Liss. Let's sit down with them after diner."_

"_OK" _

I returned to my own self and looked over at the girls. They both had a look of astonishment on their faces.

"No wonder people freaked out when I did that. You looked scary just now. Like the lights are on but no one was home." I chuckled a little. I saw Mark do it with Oksona once and I have to agree with her.

"My friend Lissa will be here after work and we will sit down after dinner. Please Emma, come sit next to me and give me your hands." Emma approached me and sat next to me. She offered me her hands and I could see that they were trembling. Misty Blue sauntered into the room and launched herself at Dimitri landing in his open arms. Both girls looked at Dimitri and the cat.

"Animals don't like Dhampirs?" Emma said in a questioning voice.

"The animals around here are a bit different but I will explain that later." I took Emma's hands in mine.  
"I need you to feel the darkness and find it. Then I want you to give it to me." She closed her eyes and I began to wield my magic to her. I could feel her loneliness and the burden she carried as Jasmine's guardian. I sent her my healing love and pulled the shadows from her. When her shadows were gone she began to smile.

I continued to send her healing love. I recognized her loneliness she must have been raised by her academy as well. Jasmine and her family were the closest thing to family she had. We stayed holding hands for several minutes. I used my mind and let her know she could let go when she wanted and I was ok with sharing this magic with her for a while longer if she needed. She did jump a bit when she heard me but she kept hold of my hands for a while longer.

When she let go of my hands she leaned over my huge baby belly and hugged me. She began to cry and I just held her till she calmed and pulled back.

"I am sorry, I am not really a touchy feely kind of person; but I have never felt loved like that before. I was abandoned at the academy gate when I was a newborn." I took her into my arms again and held her for a while longer. She stood up and motioned to Jasmine to take her place next to me. Jasmine gave her an uncertain look. I could tell she was talking to her through their bond. Emma whispered to her friend in a voice so low I should not have heard it. One of my gifts as the wielder of life and death is super acute senses. I knew that Dimitri could hear it too since his senses are also super acute.

"Jazi, trust me this won't hurt a bit and in fact it is the most amazing thing I have ever felt. Even better than….." she scratched her neck near her jugular. Sometime I will let her know that she need not be ashamed of feeding her friend when living out among humans.

Jasmine walked up to me cautiously. She sat next to me and held out trembling hands to me. I look hers in mine and told her to relax and picture herself giving me her shadows. I sent her myhealing magic. I tried to send her maternal love sinse she is also without parents but when I did I felt it get rebuffed. I pulled back a bit and just sent her healing love instead. She relaxed and begin to send me her shadows and I pulled them from her. Once she felt that all her shadows were gone she pulled her hands form mine. She looked in my eyes and quietly said

"Thank you." She quickly went back to her place on the other couch.

Dimitri sat next to me and handed me my precious kitty. She snuggled with me for a bit as she pulled the shadows from me. I let her go and she began her kitty crazies. In moments the five of us were laughing at her antics. When she was done she climbed up her kitty condo to sleep it off.

"And that is how Misty and I take away the shadows."

"Guardian Hathaway, I won't ever be able to do that will I?"

"Emma, feel free to call me Rose. You are right you won't be able to take shadows from anyone but Jasmine. I am still shadow kissed but I am also something different. I will explain what I am after we have made sure that you understand about being shadow kissed and Jasmine has a better understanding of being a Spirit wielder. We have prepared a room for you up on the third floor at the end of the hall from mine. Ivan will show you to your room and then you may get settled and look around a bit. If you need me I will probably be here."

**~O~**

**Later that night**

Tasha came for dinner. I couldn't help but notice how she and Aaron looked at each other. I could tell that Dimitri and Lissa were both checking out their auras. Lissa spoke to me through the bond.

"_Rose, I think Tasha has finally found true love."_

"_Finally, I have tried to expose her to Ivan and Arthur who have both shown interest in her but she never even noticed them because she was too busy wanting my man."_

"_You know there are some similarities between Dimitri and Aaron."_

"_I know. That is why I suggested he apply to be her guardian when he said he wanted to transfer to court."_

"_Smart thinking, I am glad to see her happy."_

"_Me too, just as long as it is with another man."_

Dimitri put a hand on my thigh under the table. I looked into his brown eyes and knew he was letting me know that he guessed what Lissa and I were talking about. He wanted me to know Tasha never stood a chance.

During dinner Jasmine came out of her shell and started to talk with Tasha. Emma who was seated near me talked with my Essa. It was funny how well they got along. Emma treated her like a little sister. She also got along with Arianna and Isabela as well. It had only been a few hours and already she felt like family to me. Dinner was fun and lively; it was nice having a table full again.

Dimitri's family had gone home a month and a half ago. I missed them greatly but I know that they will be back soon. Yeva made the decision that they should move to Pennsylvania. There is a Dhampir colony about 20 miles from here. Dimitri and I tried to convince them to move in with us but Yeva insisted that they move to the Dhampir colony. She said that we were going to need the room with so many children coming.

After dinner I had to meet with Tasha briefly so she could report to me about the integrated combat program. We chatted for a few more minutes before she and Aaron left hand in hand. Jasmine seemed to get quiet again after Tasha's departure.

Lissa, Dimitri and I, brought Emma and Jasmine to the sitting room and told them our story, the whole story. When we were done Lissa sat close to Jasmine and let her ask questions. I brought a chair close, in front of Emma. Emma looked at the wall behind me.

"The ghost standing behind you that is your other husband isn't it." I looked behind me and Adrian gave me is gorgeous smile.

"Yes that is Adrian. Emma you shouldn't be able to see him unless…. Emma dear have you made a kill?"  
She looked down and fiddled with her shirt and nodded. I could see tears begin to form in her eyes. I went and sat next to her and held her; sending her healing love.

"Oh sweetie, I am so sorry you had to do that so young." She soon stopped crying and pulled something out of her pocket. She kept it in her closed fist which she held against her chest.

"Not long before we left the St. Johns there was Guardian who was visiting from some other school to cover for a friend of his. He told me that I reminded him of a student he once had. He said she was an amazing guardian but that she made a lot of mistakes along the way; the biggest mistake was running away with her future charge. He said she was his favorite student even though she never would have guessed it. He saw how we were treated and he pleaded with me to think long and hard about my actions before I do anything. He said he could tell I was thinking of leaving and not to go. He also said that if I do leave to take this with me for protection; he told me to never be without it."

She held her hand out to me and placed it in my open palm. I could feel the elemental magic it was infused with, it was charmed like a stake. I opened my hand in it was a silver packet knife. There was an intricate pattern surrounding a name. I looked at it in disbelief. I never knew that he thought of me that way. I handed the knife to Dimitri who read the name out loud.

"Stanley Alto... I always thought he hated you. It seemed like he looked for any reason he could to get you in trouble."

"You're the student he said I reminded him of?" Emma looked at me with wide eyes. "I have to stay that it is a huge compliment." I was still holding her in my arms. I knew my next question was going to be hard on her so I spoke softly to her.

"What happened when you made the kill?" Her reply to me was very quiet but not so quiet that Dimitri and I couldn't hear her.

"We were in Seattle looking for a place to stay. Jasmine usually used compulsion to get people to take us in but it was wet and raining so there wasn't many people around. The weather took a turn for the worst so I broke into a warehouse. We were running on human time so Jasmine found a corner to sleep in. I stayed on guard because we were in a warehouse. If we were in someone's home I might have slept. Sometime about dawn I felt nauseous but not like I was sick. I felt like there was something very wrong around us. I woke Jasmine up and we tried to get out of the warehouse but a Strigoi blocked our path. We fought and he beat me up very badly. I managed to get my knife in his chest but it wasn't in the heart. I guess I stunned him enough though. I took my knife and just kept stabbing till the nausea turned into the sick kind and I threw up."

She began sobbing again and I held her close to me while running my hand through her hair. Anytime that I am doing something nurturing my magic wields on its own but I intentionally added more maternal love to it. Dimitri knelt next to us and put his hand on her back. I could feel his spirit mixing in with my magic. She soon calmed I could tell that she fell asleep with exhaustion. I looked at Dimitri.

"Ivan, could you please carry Rose for me?" Dimitri picked up Emma and carried her up the three flights of stairs to the floor my children, Dimitri and I share. Ivan followed with me. Dimitri took her up to the room that had been his before Adrian had died. We had taken out the full size bed and put in two twin sized beds for the girls. Thankfully Lissa and Jasmine followed us up. The men left and Lissa helped me get Emma changed into her pajamas. She woke up enough to get into bed.

"Good night girls." Liss and I gave them both a peck on the cheek before waddling out.

A week later, Jessica arrived from California. We offered her the other twin bed in Theresa's room but Emma said she would take it so that Jasmine and Jessica could be together. Jessica had the same straight black hair and jade green eyes as Jasmine has but she is more talkative and friendly. Tasha came over to visit with the girls. When Jessica saw Tasha she stopped dead in her tracks.

"You look like my mom."

"She is an Ozera like mom was." Jasmine piped up.

I had read the files on all the girls since they were going to live here for a few months. At the time of the fire Jasmine and Emma were both 13 and Jessica was 10. Jasmine and Jessica's father was a Dashkov and their mother an Ozera. Both parents had been only children and they didn't have any immediate relatives willing to take them in. As she had already told me, Emma had been abandoned at St. John the Baptist Academy when she was no more than two days old. The headmistress must have been a cruel woman because she named her Immaculate Conception Baptist. I bet one of her teachers took pity on her and dubbed her Emma Due to the fact that they don't have parents or guardians the three of them are legally wards of the court.

Over the next few weeks Jasmine and Jessica spent time with Tasha and Aaron. Tasha always tried to include Emma but she usually politely declined. I noticed that Jasmine never seemed disappointed if Emma stayed behind. Jessica was closer to Emma than Jasmine was. One day when Jess and Jasmine were out shopping with Tasha and Emma was hanging with me and Xander in the family room; I decided to talk to her about the relationship.

"Emma, were you and Jasmine friends before you were bonded?" She looked up at me while continuing to toss the ball to Xander.

"Honestly?... No. From the start I was one of the best in my novice class and her parents wanted me to be her guardian after graduation. They began to include me in there holidays and special family outings in hopes that Jazz and I could become close. When I died she did CPR on me. We didn't know about spirit and healing but I think she healed me out of a sense of duty. Or maybe it was gratitude for saving her and Jess."

"How do you feel about being bound to her?"

"I hate it. We both do. We feel like we are being forced to be together. She is grateful to me for saving her and protecting her but, she never really liked me all that much. Her sister and I are much closer. I wouldn't have minded being bonded to Jessica. You know I hate that I feel so protective of Jasmine. Every time she is in danger or someone is bothering her I feel the need to intervene. The first time we left the academy was because she was starting to act slutty. She wasn't sleeping with anyone but she was acting trampy. Any way some of the sleazier royals decided that they wanted her to go all the way with them. They had her in a locked class room and if I had been just one minute later she would have been raped. Headmaster Andover didn't believe us and she didn't feel safe. The second time we left it was because of the teasing. We both got teased for acting weird. I guess when we were gone and she was using a lot of compulsion it made us both kinda… well mentally unbalanced. If it had just been me I could have dealt with the teasing and the torment. Believe me I got it worse than she did. My teachers gave me a hard time for being stupid enough to take Jasmine out in the human world unprotected. Also I got called names because….." She subconsciously touched her neck. When she realized what she did her face grew bright red and she averted her eyes from me.

"Emma, come here. Sit next to me." She picked Xander up and brought him with her. Once he was close enough he crawled over her and snuggled against me. It was close to time for his feeding and when I asked if he was hungry he nodded. "Emma, would it bother you if I nursed him while we talk?" She just shrugged her shoulders so I grabbed the blanket near me for some privacy. I winced when he bit in and she noticed.

"Why did you make that face just now?"

"Well I guess that is part of what I wanted to talk to you about. See my children are different than other Dhampirs. Instead of being a 50/50 mix of human and Moroi; they are 2/3 Moroi. Because of that they need blood every day or so. I made the face because he needs blood right now and he bit me. It only hurts for a second. I am lucky because I don't get the endorphin high like I did when I used to feed Lissa." Full realization hit her. She gasped then looked me in the eyes

"When you were gone and in the human world for two years, you didn't have access to feeders did you?" I shook my head.

"I did what I had to do to keep my charge healthy and happy. I have to admit that I am a lucky because Lissa was like my sister as well as my best friend and bondmate. When we got back to the academy and people figured it out I was teased without mercy. It died down but started up again when I was pregnant with Essa." I gave her a smile and a hug. "Don't be ashamed of doing what you had to do for someone you care for, even if she is not worthy of your friendship." I sent her love as I hugged her.

"Rose can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"Well when you are sharing your magic with someone I can feel it if I am in the same room as you're in. I have begun to be able to tell how you feel about a person by the way your magic feels. I noticed that everyone who lives in the house shares an element of it and I think it means family. But there are some subtle differences between people. The way it feels when you send me your magic feels almost exactly like it does when you are with your kids. You don't feel the same for Jazz or Jess. Does that mean you love me like your kid?"

"You got me. I don't know why but I felt a connection with you from the moment I met you. I know that it sounds crazy since you are like six years younger than me but I wish you were my kid."

"How does Guardian Belikov feel about me?" I decided to be truthful with her. Dimitri and I have been talking about this over the last week or so.

"You remind him a little bit of me when I was younger. The way you play with Essa and Xander reminds him of his sisters. He knows that I would love to adopt you but he is afraid to. He knows how close I was and am to Lissa. It is hard for us to be apart from each other. That is why she lives in my home rather than in her mansion at court. He can tell that Jazz does not want me for a mom. He can see it in her aura when Jasmine is around me. She is one of those Moroi who think of Dhampirs more like servants than equals. If we adopted all of you Jessica would be ok with it but not really happy. Jasmine would resent it. Dimitri is sure she would rather live in the dorms and be a ward of the court till 18 than be adopted by Dhampirs."

"She wants Lady Ozera to adopt her and Jessica. I heard her telling Jess that they should hint to Lady Ozera. I don't think she realizes that Lady Ozera could very well end up Marrying Guardian Post."

"How would you feel about being adopted by her?"

"Don't get me wrong she is a really nice lady, she can be funny as hell and the fact that she can kick ass almost as well as a senior novice is really cool. I heard how she got her scars and I think she is really brave. I like her and I can see hanging out with her sometimes but I wouldn't want to be adopted by her. She can be a little too sweet and bubbly." She stopped for a moment to think.

"Can I tell you what I think of you?" I nodded. "I can tell that you are very loving and kind but you don't take crap from anyone. Even though you are big as a house, they have you on bed rest and you're over protective husband hardly ever lets you walk; I can see the badass guardian that you are. You are a very genuine person. I wish I could have grown up with a mom like you." She paused for a moment and went on

"Dimitri likes to hide behind his Guardian mask but he is really a warm and caring man. It is impossible to imagine him as a Strigoi. As far as him being a guardian he is really amazing. I can't believe how hard he trains me. He told me that he trained you just as hard. Guardian Castel helps with my trainings and he said that people used to call him a god."

I really want to know more about the bond between Emma and Jasmine.

"I have noticed that you slip into Jasmine's head a couple times a day when she is away from you." She shrugged.

"Yeah I want to check that she is safe. I do care about her but it is hard because I know she sees me as a Dhampir and not a friend. Did you know you check up on Queen Lissa every hour or so?"

"Yeah like I said it is hard for us to be apart; if I am too busy to check on her she checks in on me. I am glad that our bond grew stronger. It used to be one way. I am not sure but I think it was when Oksona and I saved her from Avery our bond intensified and became two ways."

Emma and I chatted till the rest of the family came home. I really hope that we can find some kind of solution for Emma and Jasmine. I really want all the girls to be happy.

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Just in case you are wondering why Rose is on bed rest... Sasha is afraid of Rose going into Labor early. Rose's babies tend to come a bit early as it is and the fact that twins also tend to arrive early has Sasha concerned. when you add that to the other medical problems you get an unhappy dhampir on bed rest. Babies of diabetic mothers tend to be a bit bigger so Rose is already HUGE.

Ok quiz questions

We haven't heard about Janine and Abe during this chapter but remember in the last chapter Viktor told Rose to tell her mom to be careful unless she wanted to give Rose a Sibling. Janine is still young enough to have another baby so do you think she might want to?

Do you think that now that Rose has read one of Dimitri's western books she is going to start to read more of them?

What so you think of Tasha and Aaron?

Why do you think Rose had and instant connection to Emma?

How do you think that Rose will work things out so that all the older girls are happy?

Please Review!

Suzanna


	46. Use Me

Sorry this is a very long chapter I am not sure why. I also wrote a lot in my ending Authors notes. I hope that you read it because I have a favor to ask of you.

I do not own VA but that which is mine I happily share with you.

* * *

**Chapter 46: Use Me**

**Emma POV**

Over the last few weeks Jasmine and Jessica have spent more time with Lady Ozera. Jasmine blocks me out of her head a lot but I don't mind. I can still feel that she is safe and happy. Sometimes Tasha takes them to court and they get to hang out and explore while she works. Jess likes to watch Tasha when she is testing potential teachers for the school. Now that they are teaching the Moroi how to use defensive and offensive magic and also teaching them to fight alongside of their guardians; it is important to have teachers who know their magic.

Jess can't wait till she starts school in the fall. She will be starting magic and physical combat classes along with all other freshman. Jasmine resents the fact that all Moroi are now required to take these classes. She thinks that it is the Guardians job to protect her and she should not have to fight. She keeps these thought from Tasha because she knows that Tasha is very adamant that Moroi should be able to defend themselves; and if possible fight alongside the guardians.

I like to stay home and hang out with Rose. She gets bigger every day so she needs a lot of help. Rose said that she still has four weeks to her due date and she is really sticking to the bed rest thing. She has been feeling a bit lonely because most of her family is away at the European court. Every year there is a huge weeklong celebration for the Feast day of St. Vladimir. It is tradition for the Queen to preside over the festivities. The last eight days have been very quiet around here. Queen Lissa, King Chris, Princess Arianna and Isabella along with the queen's guardians, Guardians Hathaway, Castel and Belikov have all gone. Mia and Mr. Mazur have also gone. Dimitri's family is in Russia tying up loose ends for their move. They will be arriving with the Queen tomorrow night.

Dimitri did come back for a visit midway through the week. After he left I asked Rose why he would fly all the way back here just to check on her when he could use a phone. The answer she gave me was honest and very surprising. I had known the story about Dimitri having been turned and that Rose and her other husband Adrian brought him back. What I didn't know was that the way they did it made him 2/3 Moroi and like Rose's kids he needs blood. She explained that because of the special bond that they have he can't tolerate just anyone's blood. He can only take blood from her.

She also explained to me that though they could have had Dr. Isham draw blood from her for him to take with him. The stored blood could hold him till he got back but that it isn't the same as 'living blood'. Also she knew he wanted the excuse to come see her. It is also hard for them to be separated for long periods of time. I don't know how he smiles so much without showing his fangs.

I was floored by everything she told me. I know most people would think badly of her for being a feeder to her husband. I asked her why she would share that kind of information so openly with me. She told me that she wanted to treat me like family and that she knew I wouldn't Judge her for it. She is right I don't think she is wrong for doing it.

She really does treat me like family. I have noticed that she isn't as open around Jess and Jazz as she is around me. When she is around me she will talk openly with her ghost husband Adrian. He has been hanging around all week. Rose told me he is worried about her because so much of the family is away. I have tried to talk to Adrian but I can't hear him so when I talk to him it I can only ask him things he can answer with shakes and nods of his head. Rose said that I won't hear him because shadow kissed can see ghosts but not talk to them. Dimitri and Adrian were spirit bound and that is why they can talk to each other but Dimitri can't talk to Rose's other ghost, Ms Carp.

I am getting a bit nervous because Adrian looks worried. Earlier when Rose was napping I walked in to check on her and he was sitting next to her running his hand over her forehead. I have tried to keep Essa and Xander busy so that she can rest. Helen told me that she looks like she is going to be going into labor soon. I hope she doesn't go into labor till after every one comes home.

Later that night Helen and I got the kids bathed and dressed for bed. I brought Xander to Rose for his feeding and sat talking to her while she nursed him. I had some questions that a girl should be able to ask her mother; I decided to ask Rose. When I spoke my voice was real quiet and I could feel my face blush.

"Rose what's it like to have sex? I mean I know the mechanics of it from health class. The first time we ran away it was because Jazz was messing around and making out with a lot of guys; some of the guys decided they wanted to force her to go all the way and I had to protect her. I know what she felt but she wasn't in love with any of the guys she messed with. She never went all the way, thank goodness. She did do a lot of things with them though. "

I couldn't stop the shudder caused by my memories of her experiences. There is a boy at court she has been flirting with and I am afraid of what might happen between them. By the look on her face I think I took her by surprise but Rose composed herself quickly.

"First I want to say that I am sorry that you had to experience those things through the bond. I know how hard it is to deal with someone else's sex life. I can help you learn to block her out but it helps if she is also blocking. As for your other question; I don't know about sex without love. I have only made love with Dimitri once and then Adrian but I can honestly say that I love them both. My first time was with Dimitri and I was about two and a half years older than you. Believe it or not he had saved himself and had never been with anyone else before. That night we gave ourselves to each other heart, mind, body and soul. It was beautiful and I am glad that I waited till I was in love. Hmm well to be honest I was in love with him for months before; but we waited for it to be right for both of us."

"Tasha said that you and Dimitri are married but that you didn't get married?"

"I would have if our society would have allowed it at the time. Our marriage isn't normal. We are what you call spouses of the heart. We didn't choose to become spouses of the heart. The spouse of the heart is very old magic and it only happens when a Dhampir finds her true soul mate. If they give each other their love and accept each other in return the bond happens. We were already bonded before we made love. According to Dimitri's grandmother Yeva, it would not have worked if either of us had given our hearts or bodies to anyone else. I guess since we were bonded before doing the deed; you could say we waited till marriage even though we didn't know it."

"I heard sex hurts the first time, is that true?" I can feel everything when I am stuck in Jazz's head and I just know that I am probably going to lose my innocents while stuck in her head.

"Yes it can hurt. It did hurt for me but Dimitri was very gentle and the pain went away fast."

"What about the pain of having a baby? Are you scared?" Oh God what it Jasmine got pregnant would I have to go though it with her?

"Labor pains are not fun but they are worth it. I guess I am lucky to be a Dhampir because we go through so much pain during our trainings that we learn to have a high tolerance. You might think I am crazy but I think it is the most beautiful pain that a woman can ever experience. It is the price we pay for getting to participate in one of God's greatest miracles. I have also been lucky because I have always had my family with me during labor and delivery." She looked down at Xander who was nodding off.

"You know Emma, I never really imagined myself having kids. I always knew that I wanted to be a guardian. I couldn't see how I could do both. When I found out about Theresa I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to be a good mother or a good guardian. I guess things didn't go as I had planned but they haven't gone bad like I was afraid they would. Adrian was my rock and he helped me more than I could ever thank him for. I love my children and I wouldn't change things even if I could. I am happy I have them."

"You're a good mom and your kids are happy. As for being a good guardian; even when you are home on bed rest and your charge is on the other side of the world you keep checking on her."

"I can't help it, I miss her. Besides through her I can check in on the rest of my family too."

"Thank you for answering my questions."

"You're welcome, and thank you for trusting me enough to ask them." She looked to Xander's sleeping form. "I think it is safe to put him in his bed now."

I picked up the sleeping boy carefully so I wouldn't wake him.

"Emma thank you for everything you have done to help me. This last month wouldn't have gone so smoothly without you." I chuckled at her.

"You do realize that I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. I like hanging out with you."

"As soon as I am free of this house arrest my Russian Jailer and his deputies; how about you Lissa Mia and I go have a girl's day at court. We will have to ask Jessica and Jasmine to go too but I think we will still have fun."

"That sounds good. Good night Rose." I saw her pick up one of Dimitri's western novels as I left her room. I settled Xander in his bed and went to my bed in Essa's room. I really don't mind sharing a room with Theresa. For someone so young she is really very mature. Rose told me that her kids age twice as fast as other kids. So Theresa is more like a four year old then like the 19 month old she really is. She is a lot smarter than a four year old. She can read the books that are written for adults to read to kids her age. When I walked into our room she had one of her favorites in her hands.

"You're reading Skippy Jon Jones again?" She smiled at me giving her full smile. Now that I know about her being mostly Moroi she doesn't hide her fangs from me. I have noticed that Dimitri, Theresa and Xander hide their fangs from Jasmine, Jessica and other outsiders including Tasha.

"It's late and you always have a hard time getting up in the morning. Close the curtain and go to sleep." I used my playful but serious voice. I learned it from Rose. Essa gave me a dramatic sigh but she closed the curtain behind her bed and settled down. A few minutes later she spoke with a sleepy voice.

"Emma, would you be my big stister?" I smiled at both her question and the way she said sister.

"I would love to be your SISTER. Your mommy and the Queen Lissa are sisters even though they are really not from the same family. I think we can be sisters like them."

"Good I always wanted mommy to give me a big sister but she said all she can give me is babies."

After that her breathing deepened and I knew she was asleep. That night I dreamed about what it would be like to really belong to this family. What it would be like to have somewhere to come to on holidays and vacations; and the people would be genuinely happy to see me. The court Academy is close enough for me to come home for dinner on Fridays and stay the weekend. I dreamed about playing with all of the kids and helping the guardians teach them to fight. I dreamed about Christmas shopping and finding the right gift for each person. Most of all I dreamed about how it feels to be loved.

The feeling in my dream changed and I found myself on the porch swing in the back yard. Sitting next to me was Adrian but he looked normal like a live person and he was dressed in normal clothing and not the pajamas he wore when he died. I was dressed in a very pretty white sundress with white sandals.

"Hi little Dhampir." Normally I would have gotten very angry at anyone who addressed me like that but what I know about Adrian and the way he respects Dhampirs I took no offence.

"How come I can hear you?"

"I brought you into a dream walk. In a dream walk I can manipulate my surroundings." He waved his arm and changed the noon sky into a morning sky. He touched the edge of ruffle on my shoulder strap and my dress changed from white to butter yellow.

"Oh Rose told me about dream walks. Jasmine isn't all to interested in learning about dream walking. Too me it sounds like a lot of fun." He looked off into the distance with a funny grin on his face.

"It is a lot of fun. It can be very useful too, being able to dream walk has allowed me to help Rose when she was in danger. I really hope that Jasmine decides to learn it."

"So why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to talk to you and this is the only way I can do it. I want you to know that Rose and Dimitri already think of you as a daughter and so do I. Rose is my Lil' Dhampir and our children are my Little Dhampirs. I don't know how we will work things out but no matter what you will always be a part of our family and you are always welcome in our home."

"If I hug you will my arms go right through you?" He gave me a light hearted laugh and hugged me. He was warm and soft and real. I melted into his hug. "Can I call you Dad?" His laugh rumbled through his chest and against my ear.

"If you want to yes, you can call me Dad but it might be easier if you call me Daddy Adrian like the other kids do. Dimitri is Daddy Dimitri or just daddy since he is the one who is still alive."

"Do you miss your kids?"

"I get to see them whenever I want and in the realm of dreams I can interact with them. The one thing I am sad about is that I won't be able to hold the twins when they are born. Emma you are waking up now. I will dream walk with you and your brother and sister soon."

The dream faded and I opened my eyes to the dark room. I dressed quickly and went to check on Rose. Her door was open and Nikolai was sitting in a chair. Rose was sitting up in bed with the book in her hand.

"Hey I was wondering if you needed help getting to the restroom."

"Yes thank you. I had a feeling you would be here soon. Nikolai offered to help but sometimes it's nice to have a girl around." I helped her out of bed and over to the bathroom. I waited by the door for her to come out. As she shuffled out of the bathroom and we crossed to her bed Nikolai spoke up, his thick Russian accent lacing his words.

"Rose you have dropped."

"I know it's going to be any time now." I looked at Rose hoping she would read the question in my face. Thankfully she did.

"Nikolai was referring to my belly. My babies have moved into a position low down and ready to be born."

"OH! I tried not to look alarmed."

"Don't worry I don't think it will be today and the rest of the family will be home tonight." She settled down in bed.

"Can I be with you when you give birth? I hope she doesn't think I am weird for asking. I have always been curious. All Novices take first aid and triage medicine. In that class we went over the basics of delivering a baby but I ever felt that a few hours and a video were enough to really teach anything.

"Yes you may, there is usually a bit of a crowd in here anyway. When I had Theresa I had all the women in my family in this room with me and Adrian. Even Dimitri's mother, grandmother, and sisters were here. When Alexander was born we were at an academy in Ireland and it was just Adrian, Dimitri and I with two of the students. Dimitri had to deliver him because there was a really bad accident that happened and the doctor and nurses were busy with the wounded."

"Wow when we went over the section in first aid and triage most of the guys in my class tried to get out of class."

"Dimitri's first charge was Ivan Zeklos. Ivan's father was a Doctor and Ivan wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He finished his High School classes two years early so his father arranged for Ivan to have private lessons while still at the academy. Dimitri and Ivan were best friends and whatever Ivan studied Dimitri studied too. While on vacation with Ivan after graduation Ivan and Dimitri came across a car accident the driver was hurt worse than his wife who was in the back. She was in labor but otherwise unharmed. Ivan took care of the husband while Dimitri delivered the baby. The husband and wife still keep in contact with Dimitri. They are a Native American couple who live somewhere in Arizona."

"Wow that is very cool!"

"Yes it is in fact because of Ivan and his fascination with languages Dimitri can speak Romanian, French, Italian, Turkish, Spanish and Klingon. Rose burst out laughing when she said the last one.

"Klingon? As in the Klingons from the TV show Star Trek." She laughed even harder and nodded her head.

"Ah ha"

"I liked the movie that came out a few years ago but I don't think I would take the time to learn Klingon." I was giggling along with Rose and I could see Adrian in the corner laughing as well.

"Hey Daddy Adrian is in hysterics over there."

"Daddy Adrian? Did he dream walk with you?" I nodded. "Adrian I wanted to do it together." She chucked a pillow at him and it went straight trough him. He turned to watch it hit the wall behind him and then he looked at her and stuck his tongue out.

We spent most of the morning talking and laughing. When Helen brought us breakfast Rose just picked at it. When Adrian and I both gave her questioning looks she ignored us. Theresa and Xander wondered in with a stack of books for us to read to them.

At lunch Helen brought us all lunch and put out a big table cloth so that the kids and I could have a picnic with Rose. Rose again picked at her lunch opting mostly to drink her ice tea. I noticed that Rose Suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Are you ok? You look like you are in pain." She gave me a sheepish smile. She spoke very calmly.

"My back hurts and I think I am in the beginning stages of labor." I looked to where Adrian was standing just in time to see him vanish.

"Where did Adrian go?"

"He went to go snitch on me. There isn't much he can do; Lissa felt my pain so I am sure that they know and they are in the air already. My water hasn't broke yet so I am praying they get here in time."

"Mommy, are the babies coming today?" Rose put her hand on Theresa's cheek

"Maybe. Essa, if the babies come I will need Emma here with me; if I call Gran Gran Tatiana will you stay with her. Essa nodded her head. Rose turned to and grabbed her cell phone from the night stand. I had butterflies in my stomach as she dialed the number and waited for the answer.

"Hi Tatiana it's me, do you think you could come watch Giggles and Smiles.….. I am not sure but it feels like it… Yeah I am glad you came home early too… They are supposed to be back at six… I was about to call her….. Ok see you in a bit. Bye."

She dialed another number.

"Sasha, I think today is the day… See you in a few."

I took Essa and Xander down to the family room and got out some of their favorite movies, books and toys. I put on Toy Story for them and they settled down to watch the movie. The door bell rang while I was just finishing up. Helen walked in with Princess Tatiana. I had met her several times already but I still had a hard time grasping that Rose was related to the former queen.

"Hello Lady Ivashkov." I gave her a little bow.

"Emma I know that things are not official yet but from what Adrian tells me; soon you will be calling me Gran Gran just like your soon to be siblings." She gave me a hug and sent me up stairs to take care of my 'mother'.

When I walked into the room Adrian was sitting next to the bed guiding Rose through a breath. When they saw me both of them smiled. Nikolai was standing by the door looking very uncomfortable. They finished the breath.

"I am not that far into labor but I just had a contraction. Adrian guided me through a Lamaze breath."

"I kinda figured that. Nikolai could you leave for a moment I think Rose needs to change." He walked out and closed the door behind him. Adrian also disappeared I know he is Rose's ghost husband but I would have felt weird with him in here.

"I am really amazed at your maturity Emma. You really don't act like a 15 year old. It's Ok to be a kid. Promise me that you will let yourself be a kid I want all my kids to have a childhood. I grew up way to fast and I don't want that to happen to you."

"I promise to be a kid tomorrow. Today you need me to be grown up." She gave me a small smile let me help her undress. In my lessons on delivery I learned that if possible the mother should be completely free of restrictive clothing. For obvious reasons she should not have anything below the waist and her clothing on top should allow her to have skin to skin contact with her baby once it is born. She put on a lavender top that looked like it was made for this specific purpose. It looked almost like a hospital gown but it was modified to also look like normal pajamas.

Just as she was getting back in to bed there was a light tap on the door. I got her covered before answering it. Dr. Isham stood waiting and I let her in both Ivan and Nikolai followed with large boxes. I watched as she unpacked her things and set them out.

"What's all this?" Rose looked around at medical equipment that Sasha was setting up.

Well Cousin, since you have a high risk pregnancy and I know that there is no talking you into going to a hospital; I have barrowed all the equipment I need if there are complications." She turned to Nikolai and whispered so low that I wouldn't have heard her if I was not standing so close.

"Nikolai could you and Ivan help my nurse set up in the nursery."

She strapped something to Rose's belly and flipped a switch. The room filled with the sound of beating hearts.

"They sound good Rose." Rose began to breath like she did with Adrian and I realized it was another contraction. She looked at her clock.

"Sasha it was 12 minutes."

"We might have a ways to go yet."

"I hope so cuz I want Dimitri and mom here."

"Let me see how far you are dilated." Sasha called her nurse in to help hold Rose's legs as she examined her. "You are at five inches Rose." We let her legs down and helped her get comfortable.

**Sasha's POV**

Over the next few hours she tried to rest. By 5:30 her contractions were at 2 minutes and she had gone though transition from labor to active labor. Rose was getting agitated because she was afraid that the babies would be born before Dimitri got here. The court jet was still a half an hour out. On board was most everyone that Rose wanted to have here with her; including Dimitri's side of the family. Her blood pressure was getting a bit too high. I know that Adrian is with her because Rose keeps talking to him and Emma keeps looking at him. Emma and I were both trying to calm her and by the way she replied to Adrian I knew that he was doing the same. During a lull between contractions Emma looked in the direction that I think Adrian is sitting and spoke directly to him.

"Daddy Adrian, she needs you right now more than she needs me. Please if you can use me; you have my full consent to use me to be with her right now."

A few moments later I saw her expression change. For a moment there was shock and discomfort then worry. She looked at me and her eyes were no longer hazel instead they were a brilliant emerald green. She patted rose on the leg that she had been holding before standing. She walked up to the head of the bed and spoke softly to the nurse who sat behind Rose; coaching her thought her breathing. The nurse stood up and took her place at Rose's leg.

"Adrian?" Rose looked at Emma with astonishment.

"I am here Lil' Dhampir." Emma or I guess it was Adrian kissed rose softly on her forehead. Rose relaxed and the beeping of her BP monitor slowed. With the next contractions he guided Rose through the breathing and the pushing. He held her hand and whispered softly into her ear.

When the first baby was born I was relieved to see a baby of relatively good weight crying strongly. I had to first hand her to my nurse, Hanna, took her to the other room to have her checked out. I told Rose that the nurse was just going to wash her up and do the APGAR test for me. I didn't want Rose to know that I had a team of neonatal nurses and even a doctor set up in the nursery; just in case. I have been worried about Rose throughout her pregnancy. The fact that she went into labor a month prematurely didn't surprise me but it added to my concern for both her and the babies.

Rose didn't have to much time to worry about her daughter because her son was coming fast. Just as he was crowning Dimitri, Janine, Lissa and Olena rushed into the room. Dimitri was about to try to take Emma's place but he stopped with a gasp. Then he went around to the other side and took Rose's other hand. The baby finally pushed his head and a shoulder out and I was able to guide him the rest of the way. He was smaller by at least a pound and his cry was not as strong. Hanna returned with the first baby who was wrapped in a pink blanket. She was just about to hand her to Dimitri but he shook his head.

"No, give her to the girl." Emma reached out for the baby and tears were streaking down her face. She kissed the baby tenderly.

After handing over the baby girl to Emma; Hanna took the baby boy to the nursery. Emma looked at me and in the emerald green eyes was a question. I knew that Adrian was aware of my concerns and he had probably read the concern on my face when his son was born. I gave a reassuring smile.

I was still having trouble wrapping my head around what I was seeing. The idea that Adrian could have the ability to enter into another person's body never crossed my mind and I doubt that it had crossed his either. I know that Emma is a very caring and giving girl; she had reminded me of Rose as soon as I had met her. I would never have imagined that she would be generous enough to offer her body so that Adrian could be there for Rose. I also suspect that part of her goal was to give him a chance to hold his children here in the waking world. I was so confused it was Emma's body and Adrian's soul; was it Emma or was it Adrian? I contemplated this as I stitched Rose up.

A Little while later Hanna walked in with a little blue bundle she had a portable oxygen tank in a strap on her shoulder. Dimitri took the pink bundle from Emma. Hanna handed Emma the other baby then set the oxygen tank on his lap. I could see worry in his green eyes while a wrinkle creased Emma's forehead. Emma's voice, heavy with emotion cooed to the baby. All eyes in the room were transfixed on the pair.

I stepped out of the room to speak with the Neonatologist.

"So Amber how are they?"

"The girl has an APGAR rating of 10 and shouldn't have any problems. The boy has a rating of 7, that is not a bad score but I want him retested tomorrow. He has underdeveloped lungs as you know this leaves him susceptible to lung infections. I put him on oxygen and I think she should be in an incubator. I suggest that you keep a nurse here to keep an eye on him till we know he is out of the woods. He will probably be consuming more blood than the girl so you might want to warn the mother."

When I walked Back into Rose and Dimitri's room most everyone had left to give them time to bond with their babies. Hanna had shown Rose how to nurse both babies at once and was standing nearby in case they needed help or guidance. She had each baby on a pillow and situated against Rose's sides. With their head's just inches away from each other; you could see that they both had the same shade of hair. I think that the shade was a mix of Rose's dark brown and Adrian's bronze. Emma was curled up near Rose's legs. Dimitri was absent mindedly smoothing her hair in a comforting manner. She opened her eyes and gave me a tired smile and I noted that her eyes were back to her own lovely hazel. Rose looked up at me.

"Your son will be fine. His lungs are not fully developed but as quickly as your children grow after birth I am sure he will catch up in no time. For now I have an incubator in the nursery and I have arranged to have medical staff here to watch over him till we are sure he is ok."

Rose and Dimitri both looked over to the other side of Rose where I am sure Adrian was sitting. Rose inclined her face in such a way that I could imagine Adrian's hand caressing her cheek.

"Thank you Sasha. I know that he is in good hands with you and your staff." Dimitri smiled down at both children.

After both babies were fed and burped Dimitri and Hanna took them to the nursery. Hanna was going to introduce him to the neonatal nurses who would be caring for the babies. Helen came in with Fresh bed linens.

"Rose let's get you cleaned up. Emma you look exhausted maybe you should go rest."

"No thank you Dr. Isham but I want to stay with my mom." Rose smiled at her with a bright loving smile.

"Emma dear you do look tired and I understand if you want to sleep."

"No mom I want to be with you." Emma and I both helped Rose to stand. While Rose walked to the bath room Emma started the shower for her. Then she went to help strip and remake the bed while I helped Rose.

**Dimitri POV**

I was a mess on the flight home. As it was we had left the closing ceremony early. We all had a feeling that we needed to get home early. We were still in the air when Lissa suddenly clutched her stomach. Christian was at her side in an instant. She was already six months along but we still worried about her because her last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. She held her hand up and her face went blank. She was in Rose's head for a few minutes. When she came back to herself she looked alarmed. Adrian appeared, he and Lissa said at the same time.

"Rose is in labor!"

I told Adrian to stay with Rose and let her know that I will be there as soon as we land. I hadn't tried to use the bond between Adrian and I since just before he died. I tried to pull myself into his head but all I got were fuzzy images. I tried to stay with him so that I could be with Roza through him. Yeva came up to me and patted my hand. I came back into myself.

"Dimka you have been at it for an hour and you look exhausted. Save your energy so that when you get there you will be able to lend her your strength."

I knew that Yeva was right. I had a searing headache from having spent an hour in a ghosts head. Lissa stayed in Rose's head for a while but when Rose's contractions were starting to affect her body; she had to pull herself out for the safety of her own babies. Lissa and I both moved to seats that were close to the plane's exit. Even though Lissa had to keep her walls up enough so she didn't get sucked into Rose's head; she kept herself open to feel Rose's emotions. She told me that Rose was sad and a bit upset because it looked like we were not going to get there in time. We were only about an hour out now and I prayed for Roza to stay calm.

"Something happened; she is feeling much calmer now. I wonder if Sasha gave her drugs; I hope not because I know how Rose feels about having a drug free, natural delivery." Her face went blank for a moment but she quickly came back and placed a hand on her belly. She gave a bit of a moan.  
"No she is defiantly not had any drugs. I felt her contraction full force."

"Rose has always had a high pain tolerance. Sometimes in practice we both would get a little too competitive and we would injure each other more than we intended to. I remember one afternoon I cracked a few of her ribs and she came back the next morning ready to spar with her ribs taped up."

"I remember that, she wouldn't let me heal her because she didn't want to be the cause of me using my magic. That was before she told me that her shadows were caused by my use of spirit. Also I think she didn't want to look weak in front of you."

"She always felt like she had to prove herself. If anything I was the one who wasn't worthy of her."

Lissa and I tried to keep each other calm as we waited for the plane to take us home. After what seemed like days I felt the plane begin it's decent. My adrenaline was pumping and I would have parachuted out if it would have brought me to my Roza any faster.

The plane finally landed. Though I wanted to rush out and jump into one of the waiting SUVs there was no way I was going to endanger Lissa by not following protocol. I waited by the hatch for the court Guardians to radio me that all was clear. I opened the hatch and stepped out with my stake in hand; checking for myself that all was clear. Once I was sure it was clear and safe I allowed Eddie and Janine to accompany Lissa and Christian out of the plane. They were rushed to the Royal Transport and I jumped into the driver's seat. Mia and Abe jumped in as well. I saw Arthur in the driver's seat of the other SUV; my family was already packed into the SUV. I signaled to Arthur and our caravan got under way, fast.

I parked in front of the house and we ran up the stairs and into my room. Emma, God bless her was sitting with Rose and coaching her though her push like a pro. I was going to take her place but when she looked at me I realized that it was not really Emma with Rose. Adrian's Aura was superimposed over Emma's and when she looked at me I saw the eyes of my brother. I turned and went to the other side of the bed and took Rose's hand.

Rose was pushing with all she had and I could see how weary she was. Sasha pulled the baby the rest of the way out. He was small and his cry was not strong.

A nurse walked in with a little pink blanket and headed straight for me. I knew that one of Adrian's only regrets about leaving us was that he wouldn't get to hold his children when they were born. I wanted him to hold her first so I told the nurse to let Emma hold her. I could feel the joy and gratitude from Adrian though the bond. I missed this feeling. As a ghost this part of the bond is muted but since he was occupying a body I could feel his emotions clearly. I don't know whose idea it was but I know that having Adrian here with her was what calmed Rose earlier and I feel so grateful to Emma for lending her body to my brother.

The nurse took our son and left the room. I could feel Roza's concern and fear. I whispered into her ear that any child of hers would be a fighter. She nodded and I could see her try to calm herself. She looked over at our little girl nestled in her Emma's arms. Adrian's emerald eyes sparkled as he held her close. Rose spoke quietly so just Adrian and I could hear.

"There is no way I am going to let Emma be a ward of the court any longer. Her bond to Jasmine isn't strong and Jasmine doesn't even appreciate her. Jasmine is welcome to stay here if she wants but from this point on Emma is my kid."

"My only concern was the bond but if you really think it isn't going to be a problem then I am with you 100%. I guess we get three kids instead of two today." I kissed her briefly.

"I was already sold on the idea last week. She is aware of what we are talking about and she is thrilled." Adrian said quietly.

The nurse came back with our son. I offered my arms out to Adrian so I could take our girl and he could hold his son. There was an oxygen tube taped to his face running under his nose. She set the tank on Emma's lap. He's a beautiful boy. Both babies had the same dark rich shade of hair; it was a combo between Rose's dark brown and mixed into it was the redness of Adrian's bronze. As Adrian held him I could feel him try to use spirit. There was must a faint hum of spirit's energy. I guess that his ability to heal is gone.

"We will go and let you have some time together. "They are beautiful babies Roza, good job. When are you planning on letting us in on their names?" Momma asked as she and Yeva came up and caressed each child's head.

"As soon as Roza has had time to rest then we will call you all in to meet the babies and announce their names." She smiled at me then left the room. Next was Lissa. She bent over and kissed the baby in Adrian's arms holding her kiss there for a full minute. Rose smiled and closed her eyes. I could tell that she slipped into Lissa's head. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Lissa with gratitude. They had a brief exchange through the bond.

"Thank you Cousin." Adrian said.

"Lissa thank you from the bottom of my heart."She smiled and left the room. I realized we were all alone except for the nurse who stood quietly nearby. Soon the babies both began to give hungry cries. I handed Rose the baby in my arms and Adrian was about to do the same when the nurse offered to help us. Rose was already sitting against the headboard of the bed so she took a pillow and placed it on her right side. Then she took my daughter and lay her down with her feet pointing to rose's back and her head was in place. Rose rubbed her nipple against the baby's mouth and her rooting instinct took over.

The nurse followed the same pattern with the second baby. Once his hands were free Adrian stood and walked around to the other side of the bed; not far from me.

"It is tiring for Emma to share her body with me so I am going to let her rest. Let her know how much I appreciate the gift she gave me." He curled up so that he could use Rose's leg as a pillow. Then I saw his ghostly form pull away from her and return to his place on the other side of Rose. I reached out and ran my hand to sooth her forehead and hair like momma used to do for me. Rose, Adrian and I were talking when Sasha walked in. She explained to us that our son had slightly undeveloped lungs and that she expected him to be fine but he would need to be in an incubator for now. She was assigning nurses to make help take care of him. She also warned Rose that he will probably need blood more often and she was going to prescribe her supplements to help her body keep up with the demands.

Rose fed the babies then she and I each burped one. Then the nurse and I took them to the nursery. She introduced me to the nurses who would be staying with us for the next few days. She introduced me to the Neonatologist who would be checking in on him every day. I stayed to watch my children sleep for a few minutes before heading down to spend time with my giggle girl and smiley boy. While I was in the family room playing with the kids I told Lissa that Rose and I wanted to go through with adopting Emma. Since she is the highest officer of the court she promised that she would take care of it for us.

About 8:30 am. Emma came down to let me know that Rose wanted me and the kids to go upstairs. Picking up both Theresa and Xander I rushed up. Rose was feeding the twins. I could feel the love she had for her children filling it room.

"Come here and meet your brother and sister." She smiled warmly at them. Xander saw that she was nursing them and gave a little pout. "Oh Xander don't worry I will still be feeding you for a couple more months." She tried to ruffle his hair but he pulled away from her and crawled into my arms. I snuggled him close to me. Theresa patted Xander on the back.

"Thanda, don't be sad. Mommy Yubs us; don't you feel it? She is like da guinch who stole cwismas; her hart just guew two thithez bigga. Now she can love us mor."

I saw Rose's mouth twitch when Essa compared her to the Grinch who stole Christmas. But her eyes shown with pride at how well Theresa explained that her love is able to grow so there is enough for everyone."

"I yub you bluther." She kissed the smaller baby then moved to the other. "I yub you stister." As she kissed them the feeling of love spiked; Rose and I both darted looks to each other. Essa then pulled Xander into a big hug. Again the love in the room spiked. Rose and I were astonished, Moroi don't usually begin to specialize till after they hit puberty. By all appearances Theresa was not yet four years old and in reality she wasn't even two.

"Thee? My hart got bigga. You twi it. Yur hart will get bigga; I pwomith." Xander crawled over and kissed each baby. His face brightened into a smile and this time he allowed Rose to ruffle his hair. Rose handed me our daughter so that I could burp her while she burped our boy. I heard Rose's voice in my head as she called to the family.

**Rose POV**

"_If you want to meet the newest members of the Belikov Ivashkov family then I suggest you move your bottoms and get them in my room quick."_ I called out to every member of the household and the guests that were still here. The sound of many people running up the stairs got louder and louder. I looked at every face as they came in; I wanted to make sure everyone was here before we made our announcement.

Lissa and Chris were first: next came my mom and dad, Olena and Yeva, Sonya with her baby, Karolena Zoya and Paul, Victoria, Mia and Eddie, Sasha, Andrew and their four children, Tatiana, Tasha and Aaron with Jessica and Jasmine, Ivan, Nikolai, Arthur, Helen and Alice. Once everyone was crammed into my room I took Dimitri's hand. Adrian appeared and put his hand on my other shoulder. It was cool and light as a feather.

"Ok everyone I know that we have been keeping the names secret and to tell the truth even Adrian didn't know what I had finally decided. I held up my pink blanketed bundle. This is Alissa Christina her first name is spelled A-L-I-S-S-A. She is named after my sister & bondmate and her husband. You may call her Ally or Lissy." Lissa would you like to be the first to hold her? Lissa ran up and gently but eagerly took her from my arms. Dimitri held his blue blanked bundle a little higher and spoke with so much love and pride.

"This is Adrian Marcus and he is named after his father. His nick name is Addy." Adrian bent over and kissed the top of my head. I patted his hand on my shoulder. Dimitri looked at Tatiana. "Grandmother Tatiana, would you like to hold your great grandson?" Dimitri first put the oxygen tank over her shoulder then gently handed Addy over to her.

I reached out my hand to Emma. She smiled and sat next to me on the bed.

"Dimitri, Adrian and I are proud to inform you that we have another addition to our family. We have decided that Emma was born to become ours and we have decided to adopt her. I know that she hates her name and so I would like to ask her if she would like the name Emily Anne Belikov Ivashkov."

"Yes Thank You! I like that name much better." Dimitri and I both hugged Emma. Adrian bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I caught Yeva's eye and she gave me an approving smile.

It took nearly an hour for everyone to hold the babies and congratulate Dimitri and me. Once every one had gone Emma took Essa and Xander to get them ready for bed and we took Alissa and Addy to the nursery. I was shocked to see that one of the cribs had been had been taken down and in its place was an Incubator. A nurse was sitting in one of my rocking chairs. She introduced herself as Angie. She got Addy set up in the incubator and we said goodnight to him. I couldn't hide my tears as I looked at him behind the glass. Adrian stood close by and promised to watch over them all night. I thank God that ghost don't need sleep. I set Alissa in her crib. She fussed a bit but settled down to sleep easily. We kissed her goodnight and left the room.

We tucked Xander into bed first. He was very tired and fell asleep before we even turned off the light. In the girls room I heard Emma and Essa talking.

"Im glad yur my stister for weal now."

"Me too Essa but it is time for bed and it has been a long day so please don't open the curtain to read tonight."

"Otay." We walked in and kissed them goodnight and tucked them in.

Back in our room I had to reassure Dimitri that it was safe for him to feed. It had been four days since I had last shared my blood with him and I knew he much need it. To be honest I needed to feel our connection after being apart for so long. Sasha had told me that I as long as I took proper care of myself that I should be able to handle Xander the twins and Dimitri. Finally I convinced him and I am so happy I did. We shared sweet kisses and caresses for at least a half an hour before we finally released our anticipation. Feeling Dimitri's vampire kiss on my neck brought me and him such an overwhelming feeling of love that we both trembled in each other's arms. That night we fell asleep with our bodies pressed close together. Lying here so close to Dimitri; I wonder if we will be able to abstain from each other for a whole year.

* * *

Ok so here is my confession when I wrote Emma and the Dashkov sisters into the story I really didn't know why. After all I am trying to tie up loose ends and finish my story; why put three new people in? The voices in my head just kept talking (Rose and Emma) so I knew the only way to shut them up was to give in and let them have their say. A few days later during my twilight sleep. (That's what I call the time between being fully asleep and fully awake. This is also when the voices do a lot of the talking.) I dreamt about Rose having the babies and Emma letting Adrian use her so he can get to hold his babies. It was so clear to me that I woke up and literally hit my head and said "D'ah that's why they are here." There is more that they have to do so now I am glad that I let Rose insist that I write Emma in.

**Quiz **

What do you think about Rose telling Emma about the fact that she is Dimitri's feeder? Notice though she didn't tell her that that is how they express their love. I think that because Emma is only 15 she felt it would be Too Much Info.

Why do you think Emma chose to ask Rose questions about sex and childbirth?

What was your thought on Emma's dream before Adrian took her for a dream?

Why do you think Adrian spilt the beans about Rose and Dimitri planning on adopting Emma?

Emma has already grown up so much so fast; do you think she will be able to let go and be a kid for a few years?

Do you think that Tasha will want to adopt the Dashkov sisters or will they remain wards of the court?

What did you think about Adrian borrowing Emma's body?

OH and what about Dimitri and Klingon? I have no idea where that came from but when Rose said it I rolled over laughing and had to call my best friend to tell her. She said I am a Dork. Ok I am.

**FYI **

Skippy Jon Jones is a real book series for preschool kids. It is about a Siamese kitten who likes to pretend he is a Chihuahua dog. I just love them and read them to my class a lot.

The way that Theresa talks is a combo of several of my kids. My Angie really does say Bluther and Stister.

My mom is the one who always said that Childbirth is the most beautiful pain a woman can have. And the point of view that it is our price to be part of a real miracle is mine.

**IMPORTANT:** there is a few pictures I want to post for an upcoming chapter. I don't know how. If you could please PM me and explain step by step how to post a pic in my profile I would be very, very grateful.

Please review and if you did the quiz I will bake you some virtual Cookies.

Suzanna


	47. Transformations and Transferance

I am onto the last few chapters and it is hard for me to let go. I have had a hard time writing; not because I have nothing left to say but because I don't want it to end. I have also been writing for She Called Him Comrade. This story is mostly going to be in Dimitri's POV but I think that in later chapters we will hear from other characters. Those of you who choose to read it will find that I decided to keep certain elements of this story. I do not own Vampire Academy or the world in which it belongs but in a sense I took Rachael's world and made part of it my own. There will be characters that may reoccur in each of my stories such as Sasha and Misty; Though misty might be a bit different. Rose will always be the wielder of life and death though the situations will change.

I guess you can say that I will be taking different timelines in each story. I will begin with one simple change and see how that one change affects the course of Rose's life and her journey.

There will be one more chapter and then an epilogue to this story before I begin to post anything on She Called him Comrade. I will try to get back to The Truth gets in the way but to be honest the voices are not talking in that story right now. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I also hope you will read the other story once I start posting.

Suzanna

**WARNING: There is a M rated scene in here and it is marked. If you are not interested in reading it please don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 47: Transformations and Transference**

**Rose POV**  
**Six Months Later**

"Mommy Addy keeps taking Xander's blocks and sticking them in his mouth and Alissa won't give me back the baby doll grandma and grandpa gave me." I had to suppress the laugh I had over Theresa's serious expression. Unfortunately Lissa and Mia both laughed. This brought a signature Hathaway, glare from my sweet little angel.

"_Theresa, do not give your aunts that look_." She lowered her face quickly when she heard my voice in her head.

"Sorry Aunties Lissa and Mia. Mommy can you help me with the babies?"

"Come on; let's get them interested in something else." I didn't want to wake the baby nestled in my arms so I gently set him in his Moses basket next to his mother. Lissa reached out and smoothed his dark hair; he smiled at her touch.

In the family room Allie was walking around with Essa's doll in her arms. She was patting it on the back saying Bee bee. Izzy belly was pretending to make food. Zander had given up on building anything with his Lego Douplo blocks. Instead he was showing Addy how to stick them together.

"Essa it looks like everyone in here is getting along with each other. What is the problem?"

"The babies take everything. Can't we make them play in another room?"

"It sounds to me like you don't want to share. How about I get your doll back and you can play all by yourself in your room"

"But I would be lonely."

"Ok then go get Allie's doll and see if she will let you play with it and you can let her play with yours." She thought about this for a moment then ran upstairs. I waited for her to return. When she did she had her backpack on and ran to the girls. She brought out two more dolls.

"Allie, do you want to play with both of these babies or can I play with them?"

"Ou pay, dis my bee bee."

"OK Allie, I have twins like mommy and Auntie Lissa."

I smiled as I left the room to rejoin Liss and Mia. I couldn't help the pang of jealousy I felt when I saw them with their little babies. Allie and Addy were only six months old but already they were walking and starting to talk. Xander was fourteen months but already he was well past the toddler stage. Essa was officially two today but from all outside appearances she could be four. After a few months of speech therapy she no longer had a lisp and her true intelligence could be heard when she spoke

Lissa's twins, Christian Oliver and Jaden Henry were three and a half months old and Mia's daughter, Liliana Anastasia was only three months. All three babies were of normal size and development for their ages. I missed having my babies be so little. Lissa looked up at me and I know she had caught on to my feelings. She gave me a sympathetic smile. I reached out my arms to hold Jaden. He smiled at me and cooed.

"Hello Little Jaden, Hello." I tickled his tummy just so I could hear his sweet baby laugh. I stayed in the sitting room with Lissa and Mia till it was time for me to frost Essa's birthday cake.

In the kitchen Dimitri was grating cheese for the pizzas he was making. I hugged him from behind and pressed my body to his while letting my hands roam around his stomach and chest. I kissed his spine between his shoulder blades. A low moaning growl reverberated through his rib cage. He turned in my arms and kissed me passionately. I heard a giggle come from the direction of the pantry. We both turned to see Viktoria giving us a look of fake shock.

"I thought you guys were not supposed to engage in that kind of activity for a while yet." I blushed.

"Damn Sparky and his big mouth."

"Don't worry, he lost the bet already. He thought you wouldn't make it past seven weeks."

"He's placing bets on how long we could hold out?"

"Well yeah, Rose, we are talking about you here. Your past history and the fact that you are the wielder of life, give enough reason to think you might not be able to hold out. Not to mention the fact that we can all feel the passion you two have for each other every time you even hug him."

"Does no one in this family have faith in us?"

"Yeva, Lissa and Eddie do; they each put down a hundred dollars that you would make it all the way to the year."

"And what about you, what do you think we will do?"

"I think you will make it close but just before the year is up, you will crack. My brother may be known for his self control but well…. We are celebrating Theresa's birthday and she is evidence that sometimes he loses control."

She smirked at us and sauntered out of the kitchen. Dimitri finished making the pizzas while I frosted the chocolate cake. Helen helped me to decorate it; she is so good that she could give that guy on the food channel a run for his money. Dimitri sat and watched us decorate the cake while his pizza's baked. Emma and Arianna walked in and I had to giggle when I saw them. I had put them in charge of decorating the dining room for the party and after they finished they told me that they were going to make a birthday crown for Essa. Both girls had glitter in their hair and stuck to their skin. From behind them Essa popped out with her very glittery birthday crown on her head.

"Look mommy, Emma and Ari made me a crown. Today I get to be a queen because I am the birthday girl.

"Oh my, don't you girls look festive. You all have pink and purple glitter all over yourselves. That is the prettiest crown I have ever seen." I gave each of the girls a hug.

"Are all the guests here yet?" Dimitri asked as he gave each a kiss on the top of their glittery heads. He had to lift Essa's crown to kiss her.

"Yeah they are in the family room talking and laughing. Daddy Adrian is in the corner listening to everything. Now that he and I are learning to use ASL (American Sign Language) he has been cracking jokes for me to translate to everyone."

"He always did like a good party." I gave Dimitri a wink.

"Hey Mom, Auntie Lissa said that she will watch Alissa and Addy tomorrow so we could go for a ride with the horses. Uncle Sparky said that we can borrow his horses too incase we need more." Emma gave me a pleading face.

"You girls are really stuck on the idea of going out for a ride aren't you?"

"Yes but I am not the only one. The little ones are driving me nuts about it."

"Mommy it isn't supposed to be too cold tomorrow and there is going to be a full moon so everything is going to be so beautiful. Please Mommy; Ari, Izzy and Xander want to go too." Theresa gave me a pouty face and leaned her head on Arianna's shoulder.

"Jasmine and Jessica sounded interested when they heard us talking about it. I already asked Guardian Post and Uncle Eddie to come with us to help protect the Moroi.

"Roza, are you going to say no to those beautiful princesses?" Dimitri gave me a pouty face that resembled Theresa's so much.

"Dimitri you've gone soft. Fine we will go for a ride tomorrow. Go tell everyone dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Helen and I got the salad and pasta set out on the table while Dimitri cut the pizzas into slices.

During dinner I looked around the room. Our family was too big for the 20 seat table that Adrian had inherited with the house so we had 10 seat table made to match it for the younger children. I looked at Lissa. She was smiling and though the bond I could feel her happiness.

"_Lissa, sometimes I can't believe how things have changed. Five years ago we were on our own without any friends or family, just each other. Now look at us. We have more family than we could ever have imagined."_

"_I know. But do you know what the best part of it is?"_

"_What?"_

"_I get to be part of it with you. We have gone though a lot together especially since we lost my family and we became spirit bound. But though it all we have had each other. Love you sis."_

"_I love you too!"_

Lissa and I both wiped a happy tear out of our eyes. I thought no one noticed it but Dimitri gave me an odd glance. I gave him a peck on the lips.

"Eew Mommy that's so gross."

"Sweetie, not all boys have koodies. Essa just shook her head at me as if I was speaking nonsense.

After dinner we cleared away the dinner dishes and Dimitri and I brought out the cake. It felt odd to me that it only had two candles on it. We brought it out and placed it in front of Essa. She was about to blow the candles out but she stopped.

"Mommy is Daddy Adrian here?"

Right behind her was the pearly form of Adrian and in his arms he held Angelina.

"Daddy Adrian is right behind you and your cousin Angelina is with him."

She smiled then with a deep breath; she blew out her two candles. Adrian placed his hand lovingly on her shoulder and bent down to give her a kiss on the head. Her face brightened and she touched her shoulder.

"Tell him thank you for me mommy."

"He knows sweetie; he heard you.."

After the cake and ice cream we all went to the family room so that Theresa could open her presents. Among her gifts were a saddle and a bridle for her horse, Raven. She also received a ridding outfit from Tatiana. The rest of her gifts were the normal things you might give to a 4 or 5 year old. That night while I tucked Theresa and Emma into their sleeping bags; Theresa asked an odd question.

"Mommy, do you think that a birthday wish will come true even if you made the wish for someone else?"

"Well I guess that might depend on it is a selfish wish or not."

"Well pretend that there was something that daddy really wanted and you wish for him to have it. Would that kind of wish come true?"

"I think God likes those kinds of wishes best. If it is really important you can ask the angels and saints to pray with you."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now get some sleep." We kissed each of the girls on the forehead then made a round to all the other girls. Isabela was giggling about something with Sarah and Sonya, Sasha's daughters.

"Izzy what are you planning over there? I hope you aren't going to do something that will get you guys in trouble. If I find out that someone had their hand placed in water I will know who to scold." A look crossed her face that told me that was exactly what she had been planning. I kissed her forehead and moved on. When I got to Jessica she smiled at me and let me kiss her but Jasmine rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Well have a good night Jasmine." I patted her back and she stiffened.

Dimitri and I made our way out of the family room and left the girls to their sleepover. Dimitri wrapped his arm around me and held me close as we climbed up the three flights of stairs to our room.

"Comrade, I want a nice hot shower; would you like to join me?" He answered me with a full smile.

**M rated scene.**

**~oOo~**

Dimitri pulled me into a close embrace. I could feel his desire for me. I got onto my tippy toes so that I could bring my face closer to his as he bent down to meet me. I could never get tired of his soft lips. Without breaking our kiss he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips. He brought me into the bathroom and set me on the counter.

His lips left mine only to find my jaw and trail their way to that very special spot just behind my ear. With his tongue he massaged the delicate skin making me shiver with desire. My fingers trembled as I tried to undo his buttons. Dimitri swiftly unzipped my dress and unclasped my bra before pulling the fabric away from my shoulders. After getting all of Dimitri's buttons undone I still had his undershirt to pull off. I had to pull away from our kissing long enough to pull the fabric off of his head. He openly laughed.

"What's so funny Comrade?"

"I was afraid you were going to tear that one off too. I only have five left."

"I am seriously thinking of having Lily make you some with snaps like the baby's shirts have. Now get your lips over here or I am going to go get them myself."

He gave me a mischievous smile and lent in to me but instead of kissing my lips he went for my neck. Kissing from one ear to the other gently grazing my skin with his teeth and fangs; he teased me. His callused hands gently massaged each breast. I moaned only partly in pleasure from his touch but mostly because they were too full. With Xander no longer nursing and the twins, taking much less now than when they were little I had a surplus of milk. Noticing my pain Dimitri looked into my eyes as he gently took a nipple into his mouth. I stroked my hand though his hair as he relived some of the pressure first from one breast than the other. His kisses again worked their way back to my mouth; he was sweet from my milk. I loved the fact that he was more than willing to touch kiss and suck on my breasts as he had been the night we made love in the cabin. When he took milk from me it was sensual and sexual and bonding in a way I could never fully explain but I could only say that it was much like I felt when I gave him my blood.

I hopped off of the counter and let the dress fall the rest of the way to the floor. I reached for Dimitri's pants and boxers pulling them to the ground together. He did the same with my pantyhose and boy short lace panties. He allowed me to adjust the temperature on the shower but kept a constant hand roaming my body as I did.

Once the jets were set to my liking and water was coming at us from all sides I took the sponge and body wash and began to lather up Dimitri's body. I kissed and nibbled my favorite parts as I washed him down. I gave him my man eater smile as I directed him to sit on the tile bench built into the large shower. I could see his excitement build as I knelt down in front of him. I loved giving him pleasure; in a way I took pleasure in giving it to him. I kissed his belly and his inner thighs, from one leg up and back down the other; I kissed him everywhere except for his very impressive member. Finally when I could tease myself no farther I took hold of him first with my mouth then with my hand. Using my hand and my mouth in unison I stroked him till his was almost ready to climax. I wasn't ready to end my fun just yet so I had to change tactics. I took hold of his shaft and using a firm tongue I licked the underside of his length several times before nibbling ever so gently on his head. Dimitri placed a hand on my shoulder and I knew he needed to release. Pulling him to the edge of the bench I again took him onto my mouth. This time I held his hips and used them to help me take as much of him into my mouth and throat as I could. Within a few strokes I felt his hand tighten on my shoulder and the growl that escaped his lips was the sweetest sound to my ears. I kept my mouth in place till he was done Cumming. I swallowed and rested my head on his stomach while he recovered from his orgasm.

"Roza, oh the things you do to me. Just when I feel like I know the depths of your ability to pleasure me you surprise me again and again. I can't let you have all the fun though. It's my turn to make you moan." He gave me his sexy seductive smile.

I handed him the sponge and body wash with a huge smile on my face. He massaged my body as he cleansed me. He trailed kisses and nibbles on my body as I had done to him. With his tongue he would massage little circles into places like behind my ears and the back of my neck. When I was relaxed and clean all over; he sat me on the tile bench as I had done to him. He kissed me everywhere except for the sensitive little pearl above my core. Finally he gave me a devilish grin before heading directly to it. It didn't take him long to bring me to my first climax and while I was still trembling with pleasure he inserted two fingers into me. Finding a gentle rhythm with his hand and tongue he brought me to a second soon after. I put my hands through his hair and signaled for him to come back up and kiss me.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

**End M rated Scene.**

Showers with Dimitri were always one of my favorite activities. After kissing for a while more we both treated each other to a quick rubdown with sweet almond oil and towel dried each other off. I dressed in the top and Dimitri wore the bottoms of the same pajama set. We continued kissing and caressing while we were in bed together. When he trailed kisses from my lips to my neck; my heart began to beat faster. The love that I wield swirled around us. Dimitri smiled against my neck just before he let his fangs sink into my skin and pierce my jugular. This was our moment of emotional climax. Once he had fed I snuggled up against his chest enjoying the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat. In Dimitri's arms I felt loved and safe.

I woke up feeling Dimitri's arms tighten around me. I smiled and opened my eyes. His chocolate brown eyes were studying my face with love.

"Good morning Roza. Did you sleep as well as I did?" I answered him with nod and a kiss. It was still early but we had a houseful of girls to make breakfast for. Reluctantly we got out of bed and prepared for our day. In the nursery I nursed Addy while Dimitri changed and dressed Alissa when he was done we switched so that both babies were dressed and fed at the same time. We brought them downstairs with us and set them in a playpen. It was still early and they like to sleep in like me. Helen was already making a bunch of sandwiches and thermoses of soup for a picnic lunch. I could smell blueberry muffins in the oven. Dimitri made chocolate chip pancakes and I made the eggs and bacon. Very soon Theresa came into the kitchen with Emma both of them looked half asleep. Their eyes were half closed and they seemed to be following their noses.

"I see your Dhampir stomachs are awake before you are."

"Uhhhh Food." Both of them mumbled. Dimitri smiled and I smothered a laugh. Born or adopted those were my girls. Next came, Sarah and Sonya, Sasha's girls were at least a little more awake. Arianna and Izzy came bounding in with the same Dragomir spunk that Lissa has. Xander skipped in with a smile and following him were Jessica and Jasmine.

After we got the girls fed we met Guardian Post and Eddie outside by the barn. They were chatting with Tasha. Tasha looks so happy with her arm interlaced with Aaron's. He gave her a relaxed kiss on the head. Behind me I heard a little cough and I knew Jasmine was voicing her opinion. Tasha stiffened a little and pulled her arm from Aaron's. His face registered rejection but he never left her side.

I introduced each child to the horse they would be riding. I was particularly careful to make sure each horse knew the level of experience each child had. I left Dimitri and Harvey the stable hand to help each girl get her horse ready.

Tasha had been watching me talk to the horses. She was fascinated by my ability to communicate to animals. The fact that I could make an animal feel comfortable around me and all other Dhampirs was amazing to her.

"Tasha, can I talk privately with you for a minute." Dimitri gave me a look but I mentally told him I would explain later.

"Sure Rose." She said as she wrapped her arm around me. I led her to the gazebo were we wouldn't be heard by the kids.

"Tasha do you love Aaron?" She blushed as a smile brightened her face.

"He is even better for me than I ever thought Dimitri was. He figures things out about me that even I don't know or sometimes don't want to know about myself. I kinda do the same for him and it's like we are so interconnected." I hugged her.

"I am happy for you but I see a big problem and I don't want you to make a big mistake because of it. I know how much you love your girls but if you have found a good man who loves you and your children; you can't let your daughter bully him out of your life. You have made it perfectly clear that you love the girls but you also have to make it clear to them that you love him too. You hurt him so much when you pulled away from him because of Jasmine's disapproval."

"I just don't know what to do. She gets upset so easily and I really want her to feel loved and happy."

"She is loved and Tasha, how are you supposed to teach her how to be happy if you are miserable. I will help you try to figure her out so we can find out where this deep seated dislike for Dhampirs comes from. There is pain somewhere in her past and I want to help heal her if she will let me."

"Thank you Rose. I can see why he loves you so much."

"You're welcome. Now go show our men how much we care." She gave me a mischievous smile and followed me back to the barn. I went up to Dimitri and melted into his arms.

"Did you miss me?" He answered me with a tender kiss. I heard coughing and it just got louder.

"Jasmine honey do you need a cough drop?" I let my voice give a bit of a warning but kept my tone sweet and motherly.

"No thank you Guardian Hathaway. I am fine. I just had something bugging me but I will be fine."

"Oh that's good dear."

Tasha pulled away from her kiss with Aaron only after Jasmine had shopped her little coughing.

"See you tonight and have a safe ride." He kissed her head again and mounted his horse. I mounted mine and Tasha handed me Theresa. Dimitri had Xander with him.

"Tasha, have fun with Lissa, Chris and the babies." I said to her as we rode away. I had to admit that Dimitri looked kinda hot on horseback. It really fit his secret fantasy of being a cowboy. Once he had gotten over his fear large animals he wanted to buy some for us. So now we have Lissa and Christian's five horses but we also have nine of our own. Adrian had, had the barn built big enough so that we could house 20 horses. He said that with a family like ours we may see the need for more, one day.

Dimitri led the way there was a little lake about five miles west of our property it was frozen over solid so we planned on doing some ice skating with them before lunch. The ride up was cheerful. I taught the girls some camp songs that I learned while on the run with Lissa. Emma knew some of the same ones and she also taught us some others. Dimitri brought us to near tears with laughter when he started to belt out some Klingon Drinking song that he and his best friend Ivan had learned.

"Dimitri I know that Ivan was the star trek nut but what is it about the Klingons that fascinates you so much?"

"Don't you get it mom, they are a warrior race. Honor is a huge part of their culture; and if they die in battle they die with honor."

"Thanks Emma, I think I get it now. So how did you figure it out?"

"After my homework I started to watch old episodes of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine online."

Urgh I felt so old. Not more than a few years ago I would have done the same thing but I have no time in my life right now for television. I had to chuckle at myself as I listened to Dimitri and Emma talk about favorite episodes. They were nerds but I loved them both so much.

We all put on Ice skates and skated for more than an hour. It was the first time that Xander had ever been on skates so Dimitri and I had fun teaching him. Emma had never been on ice before but she was familiar with inline skating. After about an hour and a half Eddie built a little fire pit and we made a little fire. Our soup and hot chocolate were both still hot. The winter night was about 20 degrees above 0 and the hot food and fire made us feel nice and toasty. After lunch we mounted up and headed home. Ms Carp's pearly image appeared and she told me to be careful. Dimitri and Emma saw her but since they couldn't hear her I shared the warning with them and Eddie and Aaron. I noticed that they all began to pay even more attention to our surroundings.

We were within a mile of the wards around our property when I felt it. My stomach knotted up with nausea and the skin on my arms and neck prickled despite the heavy coat I was wearing. Up ahead of me by two horses, Dimitri's back stiffened and I could see him surveying our surroundings. I could guess that he was using his hyper senses. He hates the fact that the Strigoi had permanently altered his body; but right now it put him at an advantage. Emma had been riding next to me and from her I heard a gasp. I looked over at her and knew I was about to ask more from her than I really ever wanted to. In my mind I spoke calmly to her. I never wanted to give her this much responsibility because I want her to have a chance to be a carefree kid for a few more years. Unfortunately I knew she would take it on even if I didn't ask it of her.

"_Emma, I need you to take care of your brother and sister. Dimitri and I will get the Strigoi."_ She nodded.

"_Theresa I am going to hand you over to your sister. Hold on tight to her, she will protect you."_ Theresa looked up at me with big round eyes. She nodded but didn't speak. Emma and I got as close as we could and I helped Theresa climb over to Emma. She sat so that she was facing Emma and wrapped her arms around her waist. Dimitri had seen the transfer. He motioned for Guardian Post to come and take Alexander from him. I then gave instructions to all the children, adults and even the horses in our group.

"_Post, Emma, You lead the kids back into the wards. Girls you need to ride as fast as you can. Horses, I know you can feel the danger around us. Stay calm and get our girls home. Dimitri, Eddie, your with me."_

Next I called though the bond to Lissa.

"_Liss I need you to gather all the Moroi together. when I give the word I need you to have them channel the essence of their elemental magic into you so you can channel it to me."_

"_Rose we are missing air. Sasha had to go take care of a patient."_

"_Just get every one that's there. I will take what I can get at this point." _

We were very close to the wards now so I used my mind to signal the children and Post to make for the wards. Dimitri and I headed to the direction were our senses told us the Strigoi would be found.

My senses told me that there had to have been at least ten Strigoi. We dismounted Eddie and Dimitri had their stakes in hand but I kept mine in my pocket.

"Roza, your stake!" Dimitri whispered to me.

Eddie was close enough to hear him and he looked at me with a hint of understanding and concern on his face. I knew Eddie would understand; after all he was the one who figured out that I was changing and gaining abilities long before even I did. And it was Eddie that found the book that explained what it was that I was becoming. In my mind I spoke to both of them.

"_I am the wielder of life and death. I am The Huntress. It is time for me to step into my destiny. Please I need you to stun them. Stall them for me so that I can turn them. Dimitri, as soon as we begin to battle; I need you to try to channel spirit to me."_

"Be careful my Roza." I looked into his eyes and I could read all the love and worry he had for me.

I led the way into the woods. On the hillside to my left was the opening of a cave. This might get a bit tricky because once in the cave we would lose the light from the moon. Adrian's pearly form appeared at the mouth of the cave.

"Rose, you have to go in alone. You won't need your eyes. Trust your instincts and your other senses. It will be close quarters in there but it will work to your advantage. Dimitri, you and Eddie stay out here and try to get all the ones that come out."

Adrian disappeared. Dimitri looked at me with fear; fear that he might lose me. I locked eyes with him and tried to assure him that I would be ok. I let him know that I love him and I will return to him. He reached out to me and gave me a passionate kiss. When we pulled apart he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Be safe my Roza and my God go with you."

Eddie patted me on my shoulder. I walked into the cave. As I walked in I prayed to whatever God created me that I would have the strength to do what he was sending me forth to do. Deep in the cave I saw a light flickering and bouncing off the walls. I could hear voices plotting to break the wards and attack my home. I had a momentary flash of anger and hatred; how dare they plot to harm my family. The Strigoi were unaware of my presence so far. I took several deep breaths to calm and center myself. I thought of the fact that most of the Strigoi had once been good and loving people; like my Dimitri. The evil that they were planning was because of the demons that had position of their bodies. If I was to do my job and free them of the demons then I had to do it with a loving heart.

"_Dimitri, Lissa I need my elements now."_ I could feel the energy of my friends and family, begin to flow into me. I stepped out of the shadows; my footsteps were as silent as a Strigoi.

"Is this a private party or May I join you?"

Twelve pairs of red ringed eyes looked at me. I met the gaze of each for a brief second. In one look I knew who had been turned against their will, which had chosen to be turned and how long they had been Strigoi. There were five that were very new and four that were between five and ten years as a Strigoi. The last three were very old. The oldest cocked his head at me; he was the obvious leader. I could feel that before he was forcefully turned he had been a man of God. I guessed his age to be close to one hundred and fifty years old. His age at the time of awakening might have been close to seventy. When he spoke his Irish brogue laced his words.

"Well, well what an honor it is to have the Huntress herself, join us. I hoped that I would be the one to bring an end to the prophecies. I never thought it would be so easy. You came to me and you haven't even grown into your abilities yet. It is a shame that I won't have the glory of killing you at the height of your power but you are much too dangerous to allow you to live that long."

"I see that you know more about me than most of your other collogue

"Yes well I was once a bishop in Ireland and I was commissioned to build an academy there. I was once keeper of Bridget Donnelley's diaries. For years I have been warning the Strigoi that you were coming but few believed in my 'fairytales.' In the past three years they have begun to believe me because they can feel you. Such a sweet face; too bad you have to die. Or if you like you can let me awaken you and the last thing you will feel is the joy of my bite." He crouched into a fighting stance.

"I am happy to tell you that the last thing your demon ass is going to feel is me kicking you out of that body."

He lunged at me as all the others circled around. I let my instincts take over. I closed my eyes. I could feel his moves before he made them and my body responded with a speed I never knew I had. I kept him close to me knowing that this would not be expected. I reached out with my palm and made contact with his collar bone. I recited a prayer I don't know where the words came from but I knew it was what I needed to say.

"The God who created this body and soul reclaims his child and grants him forgiveness for the sins of the demon. You may accept this forgiveness and chose to return to your body or accept your everlasting rest as a child of your Creator."

I opened my eyes and I saw a shadow blacker than anything I have ever known before pull away from the body. The shadow was pulled into the ground and disappeared. The ghost of the man smiled at me.

"I will go to join God and all of the heavenly hosts. From there I will pray for you and watch over you. Thank you Huntress for delivering me."

All of this took mere seconds to happen. Soon I was getting attacked on all sides I closed my eyes and kept sparring. When instinct told me I would put a hand out and touch my palm to the torso of a Strigoi. In the moments when I was for all intents and purposes healing a Strigoi, the others could not touch us. There was only one time that I had my hands on two at once but one was pulled away before I began to wield my magic. I was glad for it because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle the drain of wielding life and death to two at once. I heard the sounds of others sparring and I knew that those who I had healed were helping me.

I had transformed eight Strigoi by the time that the nausea faded. I knew that some had run away and I hoped that Dimitri and Eddie got them. I opened my eyes. There in front of me stood six confused looking people. All of them had been ones who were less than ten years Strigoi and had been forcefully awakened. There were two bodies on the floor of the cave. In the dim firelight I could see that they had a look of peace and happiness on their faces.

"We need to leave here." I told them. They all nodded and began to follow me.

"_Dimitri I am coming out with six survivors."_ We ran for the exit. Dimitri wrapped me in his arms for a quick kiss before pointing to three stunned Strigoi. One was just beginning to heal. I went to him first and touched his chest over his heart. I recited my prayer over him as I had with the others.

"The God who created this body and soul reclaims his child and grants him forgiveness for the sins of the demon. You may accept this forgiveness and chose to return to your body or accept your everlasting rest as a child of your Creator."

The woman sat up and hugged me.

"Thank you!" She cried into my shoulder.

One of the other survivors realized that I still needed to attend to the others before they could get up and fight. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. I moved to the others and finished my work. When I stood I could feel how drained of energy I was. Dimitri also looked warn out.

"Roza, one got passed us. We need to go after it."

"Eddie, please walk them back to the house. Dimitri and I will find the stray." I said this as Dimitri and I ran to the horses.

**Guardian Post's POV.**

We had gotten within mere yards of the wards when a Stigoi jumped out of the woods. Emma had gotten most of the smaller kids over the safe side of the wards but Jasmine and I were still outside of them. I jumped down from the horse and told Alexander to run as fast as he could to his sisters. I began to fight the Strigoi. She was an old one and my guess was that she was a trained guardian before her awakening. Jasmine had frozen and the proximity to the Strigoi was spooking the horse she rode.

"Jasmine, come here!" I could hear Emma calling her. I couldn't pay attention to the girls. I had to keep my focus on the Strigoi. I heard the children yelling and I worried that jasmine might have gotten thrown. She might not like me but I think of her as a daughter and I pray she is all right. The Stigoi knocked me down. I didn't move. She leaned over me to feed off of my body. I plunged my stake into her heart. I am sure that that is the longest fight I have ever had to fight. This would be the third kill I have made. I pushed her off me and looked over at the children.

Theresa was leaning over an unconscious Emma. She had her hands on her head and chest. Arianna and Alexander both had a hand on Theresa's shoulder. Emma let out a gasp and it was then that I realized that she hadn't been breathing before. Theresa and Jasmine both cried out in pain and passed out. Jessica stood there looking at her sister with disbelief and disgust. I pulled out my communicator and placed it in my ear. Pressing the button on the ear piece; I began calling for help. Nicolai answered my call. I gave him our location and he told us they were on their way.

Rose and Dimitri rode up just before Nicolai, Ivan, Arthur and even Abe's Guardian Johannes came driving up in two SUVs. We piled the children who were in good condition were to ride the horses back to the house with Arthur. I carried Jasmine into one Durango while Dimitri carried Emma and Rose insisted on carrying Theresa into the other.

I can't say that I know what happened between the children but I have the feeling that Jasmine is going to have some explaining to do. I don't know why she dislikes Dhampirs so much but I have my suspicions. The system that discouraged Moroi from marrying Dhampirs has caused a lot of pain on both sides of the fence. I have the feeling that her resentment might be due to her the possibility that her father might have had a Dhampir family on the side. I only wish she understood how much Tasha and I both love her and her sister.

When we got to the house Rose looked like she was ready to pass out. All of the Moroi were in the family room waiting for us and to my surprise they looked just as spent as Dimitri but not as bad as Rose.

"Dimitri I need sleep. Could you please explain to the family what happened and find out what happened with the girls?"

"Yes Roza." He motioned for Arthur to carry Rose up to their room and for once she didn't protest. Her mother followed her up.

**Rose POV**

Once we got to the door Arthur let me down and my mom wrapped her arm around me. I gave her a weary smile. She helped me change out of my heavy winter wear and into some soft pajamas. When I lay down on the bed she took off her shoes and lay down with me. I snuggled up to her as I had when I was very young. I fell asleep to the soothing sound of her voice humming something familiar and her hand stoking my hair.

**~oOo~**

I found myself standing on the chalk cliffs of Dover overlooking the ocean. The gray and misty predawn light glowed pink on the white chalk. The melodic voice of Bridget Donnelley spoke from behind me.

"I am proud of you my granddaughter. You have done well and it is time for you to receive your Huntress mark."

Bridget took my hand and let me to a stone bench. She took the pendent from around her neck and pressed it to the indent at the base of my throat just above my breastbone. I felt a cool tingling sensation as the blue stone contacted my skin. She placed the necklace over my head and pulled my hair out so that the stone pendant rested over the same spot that she had pressed it must moments before. It was a smooth flat disk that was slightly pearly yet somewhat translucent. I sat quietly as she instructed me.

"When you have chosen your elements then you will prick your finger. Place a drop of your blood upon the pendant and press it to the skin at the nape of the neck of your elements. This will mark them as your pack. They will be better able to share the magic from their elements with you. Do the same for the guardians you chose. By marking the Elements and the Guardians as yours you will be able to share with them the ability to feel when Strigoi are near.

You should use Silver on your neck, wrists, and ankles and even braided in your hair. This will magnify your element of love so that you won't have to expend so much energy. If a Strigoi should touch the silver then he will become stunned and give you the chance to perform the transformation. Have your Elements use silver on their wrists. This will help them to channel the elements to you and conserve their energy as well. Your spirit husband Adrian will guide your living husband Dimitri in the design and commissioning of the silver for your pack.

The girl that you have taken as your own is a member of your clan and is one of my descendents. She has the potential to become like you and your firstborn. Your Husbands were both of the Ceaver, clan and there are more out there who are also descended from the same clan. One will cross her path in the future; He is destined to be her husband of her heart. Your firstborn will find a man from an unrelated clan and they will start a new line.

So long as you are the huntress the adults in your home will not age. Your children will have accelerated aging till they reach their fifth year before they slow to the normal rate. Once they reach twenty years of age they too will be frozen. This is a gift that will allow you to serve the creator for a great many years. I believe that though she has not spoken it; your mother wishes to bring forth more children. She is healthy and because she lives in your home she is not aging. If she chooses to have more children they too have the potential to become wielders of life and death. Please share with her the knowledge of God's love for her.

I know that you are worried for your charge. You think that she is no longer safe with you. I beg to differ. She is still safer in your home than she would be if you sent her to live at court. The Strigoi know that the best way to hurt you is by harming her but they will not be able to harm her when she is under your care. Keep her close to you. I will help you to keep her safe."

"Thank you Grandmother." During the whole time I have been here talking to her I could feel her wielding love to me. I can feel that she loves me as a close member of her family. I hugged her and sent my feelings for her. She placed her hands over me and gave me a benediction.

"May the light of God Shine one you  
May the love of God Shine though you  
May the power of God course within you.  
May you know God for all of your days."

**~oOo~**

When I woke up I heard the familiar sound of Dimitri's light snoring. His strong arms were wrapped around me. I snuggled closer to him; breathing in his sent. He held me closer and I felt him breathe in my sent too.

"I love you Roza."

"Comrade, I love you more than I can describe."

He held me close and we enjoyed the comfortable silence for quite some time. After a while I asked him what had happened with the girls. Though he was not able to get the whole story from them he got most of it from Arianna, Isabela and Xander.

"When Essa made her birthday wish she wished that Emma's bondmate would love her. That night Angelina dream walked with Theresa, Xander, Arianna and Isabela. She told them that something was going to happen and that Emma would need help. She told them to try to get Jasmine to help her but that if she refused that Theresa would have to help her. Angelina instructed Xander and Arianna to channel spirit to Essa if she needed to help Emma. Apparently Angelina warned Essa that it would physically hurt her to help Emma but that if she was willing to do it her birthday wish would come true.

Well when the Strigoi attacked it spooked Jasmine's horse and Emma went back across the wards to help her. Emma got the horse calmed long enough to help jasmine get off but the Strigoi got knocked to close and it got spooked again before Emma could get away. Emma got trampled. Jasmine refused to help Emma so Essa did as Angelina told her to do. From what I can tell from their Aura's; Emma is now bonded to Theresa. I asked Adrian and he said that breaking the bond would have been painful for Jasmine and for Theresa. Now that our girls are bonded Emma has a bondmate who loves her."

"Wow. My little girl is already a powerful wielder of love. And I guess we now know that Xander is a spirit wielder like his fathers. I was with Bridget while I was asleep and she told me that Emma is one of her descendents too. If she meets her husband of her heart she will become a wielder too."

"Really, there will be three wielders of life and death?" Dimitri looked amazed.

"If Janine and Abe want to have more kids they also have the potential. I have learned a lot during my time talking to Bridget."

Dimitri and I lay together for hours as he listened to me tell him everything that I had learned. When we got up to get dressed for the day he noticed a silver chain around my neck. The smooth blue moonstone nestled above my breastbone and on my skin was an iridescent blue tattoo. The tattoo was that of a full moon. He looked at the back of my neck and there were nine very small crescent moon shapes and two sun shapes. The nine moons were for the nine Strigoi I transformed back into Dhampirs and Moroi. The two suns must have been for the two Strigoi who accepted forgiveness and passed into eternal rest.

"I guess it is official. I am the Huntress now. I have my marks and everything."

"Now you need to form your pack. I want to be the first one. I want to be by your side in battle." I smiled at Dimitri. I traced my finger along his lip then asked him to open them for me. Against one of his fangs I pricked my finger. I took the moonstone pendent and placed a drop of blood on the disk. I then placed it against Dimitri's neck just above his promice mark. when I lifted the stone off there was a small full moon in the same irredecent ink as the one on my throat. six moons and two suns apeared next to his molnija marks.

* * *

Well the school year begins on Monday and I will be meeting my new class. I have to admit that even after nine years I still get nervous about the first day of school. This past week I have spent in meetings and working on my classroom. on Wednesday I got to go for a day retreat at St. Catherine's Academy which is a military style boarding school here in Anaheim CA. I have to say that I was intrigued by the idea of a boarding school.

**Quiz Questions:**

Do you think that Rose and Dimitri will be able to keep in control till the year is up?

Have you ever tried to count how many people Rose considers as part of her family?

Are any of you brave enough to go back through and tally the number of characters I have crated? I am not.

If you read the M scene... Did you like it and should I add one to the last chapter when Dimitri and Rose finally give in. If you prefer I can leave it out and make the entire chapter rated T.

What did you think of the way that Rose transforms the Strigoi?

Do you think that the way that Jasmine Behaved when Emma was hurt; will change the way that Tasha Feels about her.

How will Jasmine be treated at school when others find out that her apathy cause her bond to Emma to be severed?

What did you think about the Talk that Rose hade with Bridget?

please review. I will sing the Barney song over and over to you if you don't review. LOL Ok just kidding I HATE the Barney song. someone please just shoot that damn dino already. But Please review because it makes me happy.

The Snow Goose... AKA Suzanna


	48. I have not Abandoned you

My Dear Readers, I have not abandoned my stories nor have I abandoned you. I realize that it has been a month and a half since I last posted and I am very, very sorry for this.

For the first few weeks of September I was busy with the beginning of the school year. I had a new class of 14 children most of whom were new to me. Some are younger siblings or cousins of some of my former students. (Anyhow) I was taking time to get accounted with my students and also getting used to being back at a full time work schedule.

In late September my 82 yr old father was in the kitchen when one of my nieces and nephews had an accident with some very hot noodle soup. It spilled onto my nephew's hand and my Father's foot. My father received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his right foot. He has been in the hospital for three weeks now and things have gone from bad to really bad very quickly. He has been very nauseous and cannot hold his food down. Because of this; his body does not have the calories and nutrients needed to heal itself.

Each time he has had a surgery for debridement (cleaning the wound and removing dead skin so that healthy new skin can form) they would have to remove a lot of dead tissue. Last Friday the decision was made to amputate his big toe.

He is not out of the woods yet! Today they found that he has a blocked artery in his leg which is preventing him from getting enough blood to his foot. He will be having an angiogram tomorrow. Also he will be having a gastric study done to see why he isn't holding his food. There has been talk of amputating the foot altogether.

I ask those of you who are religious or spiritual to pray for him and to send him positive energy. Those of you who are not religious if you could please just thing positive thought for him. I believe God can be found in all good hearts and it does not matter if you are not of a Judeo Christian religion. We are all loved and listened to by our creator.

As for my stories, I really have not had the time or as much imagination as I would like to have for my writing. I do have half a chapter done for So What Now and I plan on some time in the Future getting back to The Truth Gets in the Way. I promise to try to post as soon as I have a complete Chapter. Also I realized that I Owe you two Chapters (not one) and an epilogue so I will try to give you my best.

Please don't give up on me. I love you all.

Suzanna

AKA The Snowgoose.

PS I have been reading stories because it has helped me deal with the stress. I thank those who write stories. I am sorry that I have not reviewed on everything I read but my head is not all there right now. but I want you to know that you are helping me keep my sanity.


	49. Growing Pains

Well here we go we are at the second to the last chapter. It feels a bit choppy to me but still I hope you like it. Don't worry I have not forgotten that Rose and Dimitri still have to have there fun and they will in the next chapter. I added in an outtake to the bottom of this chapter. Though I didnt use it some of the concepts in it may end up in the epelogue later but well we will see.

For those wondering how my dad is doing... He is much better but he is still not eating very well. For now he is being fed intravienously. I still ask for prayers for him, and I thank those of you who have been praying for him. the day after my AN he started to make a turn for the better and I believe your payers had a large part in his progress.

I do not own VA but that which is mine I happily share with you.

Suzanna

* * *

Chapter 49: Growing Pains

Emma POV

Right after the transfer happened things got hard for Jasmine at school. As it was most of our classmates had trouble understanding how she could hate being a spirit wielder and having a bondmate. When we got to school after the transfer happened; the other kids knew something was different. The ones who were good at seeing auras could tell that we were not bonded anymore. They could tell that I was bonded to someone but it was definitely not Jasmine.

We were both bombarded with questions but neither of us wanted to talk about it. I knew that Jasmine was having a hard time and I tried to reach out to her as a friend but she refused to talk with me. Essa felt that I was upset and she snuck over to the upper campus to see if I was ok. All it took was one look for the kids to know who I was now bound too.

There has never been another bond transfer ever that anyone knows of. Even though none of us has told what really happened; most of the other spirit wielders and shadow kissed figured it out. They realized that I must have been injured or something that would have ether killed me or come close to it. They knew that it had to have been Essa who had somehow brought me back and they figured that with Jasmine's general apathy towards me; she had probably refused to help me.

I know that Jasmine has never cared for me much but until I met Mom and her family; Jazz and Jess had been the closest thing to family I had. Barbara, their mom was civil to me but truth was she hated me worse than Jazz does. Jerry never really learned how to be a father and though he was kind to me and I know he loved me; I never really felt that close to him. I would never say that the girls ever really treated me like more than a guardian in training but we did spend most of our vacation time together. Jasmine and I were bound to each other for more than two years and I still care about her. I was worried about her because without a bondmate to take the darkness from her she might begin to go nuts. Tasha tried to get her to come over to our house but she refused. I was getting worried about how much darkness was building up in her without a bondmate to pull them from her. If she would come over and let Mom help her; then the darkness wouldn't be a problem at all. Though Aunt Tasha had been very disappointed in Jasmine for refusing to help me; she was tried to show her that she still loves her. After a month I made a difficult decision. I went to Guardian post and told him a secret that I have been holding for years.

Aaron Post's POV  
one month after the bond transfer.

Tasha and I were over at the House on Cherry Hill for dinner with Belikov Ivashkov family. Jasmine had once again refused to come with us so Jessica stayed home to keep her company. Tasha has been a wreck. We are both very worried about Jasmine. When everything had happened Tasha was shocked that Jasmine had refused to help her bondmate. She was used to seeing how dedicated that Queen Vasilisa and Guardian Hathaway are to each other and to see how little Jasmine cared; was really staggering. I plan on marrying Tasha and I think of the girls as my children; I love jasmine and Jessica. I don't think that Jasmine is a bad person but I think that she made a really messed up decision that was probably based on past pain. I think that now she regrets her actions for several reasons. I think she feels a loss. It's like she is going though grieving even though Emma is still alive. Things got worse when they went back to school and the other kids figured out what had happened.

During dinner Emma kept looking at me. I had a feeling that she wanted to talk about Jasmine. I have noticed how she tries to talk to her at school but Jasmine is getting more and more reclusive both at home and at school. As soon as dinner was over and everyone was going to sit in the family room Emma and Theresa shared a look before Emma tapped me on the shoulder.

"Guardian post, may I speak with you privately?" I gave her a short nod. "Let's go for a walk."

She went to the mud room and put on her boots and coat while I did the same. Once outside we walked in silence for a while. The air was very cold and the sky was clear. The only sounds were our boots crunching in the snow. We had a ¾ moon that provided more than enough light. Emma led the way to the barn. I was shocked that she would be willing to come anywhere near these beasts again after she had been trampled. To be quite honest I was a little weary of getting too close to them after seeing the damage they could do. She grabbed two brushes from the tack room and handed me one. She calmly walked over to Bright Star, the very horse that had very nearly killed her, and began talking to it soothingly. Her manner was calm and confident as if she had been handling horses her whole life. After she patted him on his muzzle and pressing her head against his long neck she opened his stall and motioned for me to follow. We brushed the horse in silence for a few minutes before she began to talk.

"I know why Jasmine hates Dhampirs. Her father told me most of the story and the rest I got out of her head when we were bonded." She gave a sigh. I decided not to ask questions but to just let her talk.

"Jasmine's father Jerry had been in love with a Dhampir girl named Amanda Harrison, throughout his whole adolescents. When he told his parents that he wanted to marry her they blew a gasket. After much arguing and threatening; his parents convinced him to marry a Royal named Barbara Ozera. He married Barbara to make his parents happy but he didn't stop seeing Amanda. Barbara and Amanda ended up getting pregnant around the same time. Amanda died in childbirth. Jerry brought his baby girl to his home in Santa Cruz California, and begged Barbara to allow him to keep her and raise her with their child. She didn't want the child but agreed to let it stay till he could find someone who would take her. When he left for work the next day she had her Guardian take the child and leave it somewhere. The Guardian decided to drive out to the nearest Academy which was St. John the Baptist near the mountain town of Dardanelle. She knew that the baby would be safe there. When he came home and found out what happened he decided to leave the baby where she was because he was afraid to bring her back to his home and he could not find anyone willing to take her." Emma stopped and wiped a tear from her eye and composed herself.

"A week after Amanda had given birth; Barbara gave birth to Jasmine. Jerry was so devastated over the loss of Amanda and his first daughter, and he was so angry and hurt with Barbara that he was not able to love Jasmine like he should have. A few years later they had Jessica and he found it a little easier to be affectionate with her than with Jasmine.

Anyway, Barbara's Guardian had told her that she gave the Dhampir baby to a friend who was moving to Canada. When Jasmine was old enough for school they sent her to St. John's so that she would be close to home. I didn't know it but whenever they came to visit Jasmine and Jessica, He would try to figure out which Dhampir child was his daughter. One day he saw me training and saw a resemblance between me and Amanda. He went to talk to the new headmaster about me. It turned out that Headmaster was an old friend of his from school. They made arrangements for a paternity test. When the tests came back they called me into the office to introduce me to my father. Headmaster told my teachers that I was requested by Jasmine's father to be her sanctioned guardian after graduation and I was leaving campus for a week so that I could meet my new mentor. Jerry told his wife he had a business trip and he took me away for a week so that we could get to know each other." Again she stopped to wipe her eyes. She pulled a Kleenex from her pocket to blow her nose. Once she composed herself again she resumed her story.

"I was ten when I met him. After that I was included on family vacations and I went home with Jasmine for summer and holidays. I was never to tell anyone the truth about who I really was. I guess headmaster kept it out of my file because no one ever said anything to me about it when I was adopted. Barbara didn't suspect that I was Jerry's daughter because she thought I went to Canada and because I look so much more like Amanda than I do Jerry. Jasmine and Barbara did notice how he would light up when I was around and how he was always proud of my accomplishments.

Though he tried not to; he paid a bit more attention to me than to Jasmine. This brought more friction to their marriage and they began to fight a lot. Jasmine happened to over hear some of the arguments and through them she learned about her father's Dhampir family. Her dislike for Dhampirs got worse after that. I was surprised that she did CPR on me after the fire, let alone that she wanted me to live enough that she wielded spirit for the first time.

They had been arguing the day of the fire. Jasmine had been trying to listen in all day and she got a little more information about his family. During our outing she overheard me talking with Arianna and found out that I was born a week before her and that I was abandoned at two days old. She had been mulling over the possibility that I was Jerry's other daughter. She was thinking about all the pain she had growing up because she never had a father's love. When I was injured she was practically paralyzed by the pain of her memories and she blamed me for all of it.

As Theresa, Xander and Arianna healed me, I could feel her guilt. She realized that she had just been willing to let her sister die. Also she had realized that she does care for me. When I see her at school, I see pain and guilt in her eyes. I think I see loss their too. I think she misses the bond.

Guardian post, I know that you love her like a daughter. You are more of a father to her then Jerry ever was. I hope that what I have told you can help you, help her. I don't want my sister to hurt anymore. I am sorry that I didn't say anything before but I wanted to keep the secret that my biological father wanted me to keep. More than keeping his secret….. I didn't want to tell anyone that Jasmine was going to let her sister die. I have enough trouble dealing with it myself and I really was afraid of how everyone would react."

Emma POV

It has been three months since my bond to Jasmine was broken. The bond that I now have with my little sister Theresa is much stronger and for reasons that we are not entirely sure of it goes both ways. Mom told me that she and I are really related somehow and that someday I might become a wielder of life and death. She said that one day I might find my husband of my heart and if I do and we accept each other's love than the transformation would begin. Thing is I have to be very careful not to give my heart or my body to the wrong person. Honestly I had never thought about falling in love till I met mom and my dads. The way that Dimitri and Adrian love mom is amazing. She feels so strongly for them that it is mind blowing. One day I do hope I find someone like ether of them.

Because the bond goes both ways I asked mom and Aunty Lissa if they could help Theresa learn how to block me. I am trying to learn how to put up walls. I realize that because I am so much older than Essa I might fall in love sometime in the next coming years and I really don't want her to have to experience anything uncomfortable though our bond.

Being bonded to my little sister is really very fun. She is a very happy kid. I never knew how funny she is. She is just as quick witted and sarcastic as mom is. She is never mean with the things she comes up with in her head but sometimes when she thinks things I find myself laughing or smiling at inappropriate times. Though she is a good student, she uses her unspoken humor on her teachers a lot. Thankfully she keeps her thoughts unspoken or she would be getting in a lot of trouble. I guess that she is a lot like Daddy D. in that way. She has good control over her mouth and her actions.

Last Friday Grandfather Nathan called dad and asked him and mom to meet for lunch. Later that night he came to dinner and he brought a teen age boy with him. I guess he had another Dhampir girlfriend other than Grandma Olena. Grandfather introduced the boy to me and my siblings as our Uncle Benjamin. Uncle Ben has light brown hair that has a touch or copper in it. He has intense green eyes like Daddy A. If he hadn't just been introduced to me as Uncle then I would have said that he was hot. Ok so he is not a blood relative of mime because I am adopted. The fact that he is the half brother of both my adoptive dads well let's just not go there. When we shook hands I felt a weird shock. After that we avoided each other. I wonder if he is shy or if he just felt uncomfortable in his half brother's home.

He is going to start school at the court academy on Monday and will be staying in the dorms. I have a dorm room that I only use when I have too much homework and need to stay at school but I mostly stay at home. Jessica stays at school but goes home to Aunt Tasha's home every weekend. Jasmine used to stay on campus but after the bond transfer she goes home most of the time.

Things have gotten better since I opened up to Aaron. He asked me if it was ok for him to let her know that he knows the truth and how he knows. I told him that if he thought it would help her than it was ok with me.

Shortly after our talk in the barn I started to see some changes in Jasmine. At first she would give me sad smiles whenever we were in eyesight of each other. A few weeks later she started to come to dinner with Aunt Tasha and my soon to be Uncle Aaron. After Dinner mom takes her into the sitting room alone and they talk. I can feel mom's healing love when they are alone talking. Mom and I would have our private time where we would talk about my past and she would listen while wielding her healing love to me too. A few weeks ago mom started to invite me and Jessica in with Jasmine. Jasmine and I are starting to form a friendship. The other day she actually told me thank you for having taken such good care of her and protecting her when we were bonded. It's an upward battle but I have hope that one day maybe we will be closer.

Mom has developed another ability that helps her heal the people that are transformed back to Dhampir, Moroi or Human after being Strigoi. After transforming they suffer a lot of guilt and Daddy Adrian says that it is part of mom's job to help them come to terms with it. She did it with Jazz, Jess and I during our talks. She has to be physically touching us to do it but it is really cool. First she asks for permission to touch our minds. Then she will hold our hands and wields her healing love to us. There is a funny feeling in your head and then you begin to remember old memories. You can remember how you felt about those memories. Once you remember you can talk about it and work through it.

Rose POV  
11 months after she gave birth to Addy and Alissa

I had a meeting with Lissa and the high counsel this morning. As the wielder of Life and death it is my job to form hunting packs consisting of wielders from all five elements and guardians. The counsel is still opposed to the idea of actively hunting Strigoi. With the backing of both the current and the former Queen I have been given permission to begin to form hunting packs.

We have put out the word that we are looking for Moroi who are willing to fight against Strigoi. I was surprised to see how many Moroi have applied. I had to fight with the counsel over Guardians too. They don't want to waist Guardians on my (suicidal missions). When I suggested that they allow me to use un-promised novices who have gone out on their own; I actually got laughed at. The Zeklos Prince was the one who set me off. I got so angry that my anger began to radiate from me like my love does.

"Ms Hathaway …."

"Gerard, I suggest that you address Guardian Hathaway with the respect due to her. She is after all the head of Her Majesty's personal Guard. If you do not wish to address by her Guardian Title then you may call her Lady Belikov Ivashkov. Tatiana shot him a fierce glare. He looked at her with a smirk.

"She is hardly a Lady of any kind so very well Guardian Hathaway, of what use would the Un-promised be? They are the scum of the earth who shirk away from responsibility. If they had any morals they would have received their marks and become guardians."

"Prince Gerard, a few years back I met some of the Un-promised. Though they were not fully trained these young people were just as brave as any guardian I know. They fully felt the responsibility of being Dhampir. They didn't want to waste their lives guarding spoiled Moroi and waiting for death to come to them. Instead they chose to go out and search for Strigoi. They try to keep you safe and in a way they are trying to keep other Guardians safe. They try to get the Strigoi before the Strigoi get us."

"Guardian Hathaway, if We understand you correctly you are asking permission to organize the Un-promised into groups so that they can do what they are already doing?" Lissa was using the Royal plural as she spoke.

"Yes Your Majesty, I am asking to organize and train them. You see since most left school before their training was finished many are lacking the skills and training needed. There is a high death rate among them. If I could offer them the opportunity to finish their training without forcing them into active guardianship then many lives would be saved. I also believe that having this option might keep others in school."

"How many do you think you will need?"

Well that will depend on how many packs I can form. For each pack I will need a dozen as for my pack I have my friends and family. They are willing and only ask your permission to participate."

"Thank you Guardian Hathaway. We will put this through a vote."

My request was passed by 9-4. I was glad that I had both Lissa and Tatiana on my side. We adjourned for the day but over the next few weeks I had one more battle with the counsel to deal with before I could really start to even get close to forming packs.

I needed as many spirit wielders as I could get. It has been difficult because Spirit wielders are very rare. There are roughly Two million Moroi worldwide. Out of all those Moroi only forty three spirit wielders have been found or have come forth on their own. Nineteen of those spirit wielders are children including Jasmine and Princess Arianna. Thirteen of them are former inmates who had been driven to criminal acts due to excess darkness. I was able to heal all thirteen of the prisoners of darkness and eight of them have been released from incarceration. The last seven spirit wielders consist of Lissa, Dimitri, (the counsel doesn't want to count him because he is still technically a Dhampir) Oksona, Robert Duru, (I have healed Robert of his darkness induced insanity) and three other adult Moroi who have figured out what they are after hearing about Lissa and her abilities. Lissa and I were trying to convince the counsel to allow the rehabilitated spirit wielders from the prisons to work for me.

After three weeks of arguing back and forth I was finally granted permission and now I have ten spirit wielders to lead ten packs. I know that it might seem excessive but I can feel the Strigoi growing stronger. In one month all of the Moroi and Dhampirs willing to become a part of the pacts are coming to court. Dimitri and I will test them and train them. Through my conversations with Sonya Carp, Adrian and Bridget I think we have a year or two at best before we have to start sending them out. I just pray that we can train them well enough in the time we have before the war begins.

**~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Here is an out take of the end of the chapter. I thought you might want to see it even though I decided not to use it.

"Ms Hathaway …."

"Gerard, I suggest that you address Guardian Hathaway with the respect due to her. She is after all the head of Her Majesty's personal Guard. If you do not wish to address by her Guardian Title then you may call her Lady Belikov Ivashkov." Tatiana's face held all the fierce authority that she once held as Queen. Realizing that she spoke before Lissa could, she glanced apologetically to Lissa who gave her a curt not to show that no offence was taken.

"Fine then Guardian Hathaway, what would you know about the un-promised? They are little better than those who have turned Strigoi by choice. They run off to do their own thing with no regard to the duty of protecting Moroi. Then again maybe you do know more about them than anyone. After all you yourself ran away leaving your Moroi behind. And now you are married to a former Strigoi."

I got so angry that my anger began to radiate from me like my love does. Even to my own ears my voice sounded deadly.

"Prince Gerard. You are right that I do know more about the un-promised than you do. When I 'ran off' to try to free the soul of Guardian Belikov I spent a couple of weeks with a group of un-promised novices who were brave enough to do what you are too scared to do. These young people were willing to go forth and hunt Strigoi and get them before they have a chance to get to you. You are too scared to even try to learn how to defend yourself. Perhaps they feel that it does more good to go hunting for Strigoi then to waste their time on selfish Moroi who would care less if they died protecting them.

There are an estimated twenty young Novices a year who leave our academies every year. If we give those who have left the opportunity to try out for a hunting pack maybe we can bring them back to guarding. As for the Novices who are thinking of leaving maybe we can prevent them from leaving."

"Prince Gerard, Guardian Hathaway has a very valid point. I truly feel that recruiting the Un-promised is the best solution, by doing so we will not be depleting the numbers of Promised Guardians. I understand that you are skeptical about the fact that Rosemarie is the Wielder of Life and Death but you can not dispute the fact that the Strigoi attacks are getting worse and have been for the last four years."

I gave Lissa a smile and though the bond I sent a thank you. The anger in the room changed to love as I smiled at my best friend and sister. I heard several gasps. Pricilla Voda spoke up.

"Lady Belikov Ivashkov, did you do that? Did you just project your feelings?"

I smiled calmly at Pricilla. She was one of the few people who were comfortable with my marriage to Adrian.

"Yes Princess Pricilla. When I am around those I love, such as my family and close friends, the feelings of love that I have for them automatically flow through me. Everyone within a close proximity can feel it."

"Is this one of the gifts you have as the Wielder of Life and Death?" Prince Richard Conta asked.

"Yes it is one of the many. Though I am sure that you are all curious about my abilities I am afraid that there are more important matters to discuss at this meeting and I respectfully ask that we get back to the business at hand."

We did return to the matter of the hunting packs.

Once the matter of the Un-promised Guardians was settled in my favor I had to tackle another hard subject. I needed to find spirit wielders for the hunting packs. Even though the word was out there that we were looking of Moroi who were willing to go out and hunt Strigoi, it has been difficult because Spirit wielders are very rare. There are roughly Two million Moroi worldwide. Out of all those Moroi only forty three spirit wielders have been found or have come forth on their own. Nineteen of those spirit wielders are children including Jasmine and Princess Arianna. Thirteen of them are former inmates who had been driven to criminal acts due to excess darkness. I was able to heal all thirteen of the prisoners of darkness and eight of them have been released from incarceration. The last seven spirit wielders consist of Lissa, Dimitri, (the counsel doesn't want to count him because he is still technically a Dhampir) Oksona, Robert Duru, and three other adult Moroi who have figured out what they are after hearing about Lissa and her abilities.

Lissa and I were trying to convince the counsel to allow the rehabilitated spirit wielders from the prisons to work for me. The debates would go on and on for weeks. I could tell that I was beginning to sway more and more of the counsel but it would take time.

Much to my dismay another matter came up during our meetings. Prince Gerard Zeklos and several other Royals began to contest the title that Dimitri and I were granted after the Matrimonial Acknowledgment that Adrian had held for us. It was Adrian himself that asked that we be addressed as Lord and Lady Belikov Ivashkov.

* * *

OK Quiz Time.

Do you think that Emma and Jasmine will ever be able to form a real relationship and begin to love each other like sisters?

Will Jasmine get over her dislike of Dhampirs?

Will Jasmine one day join in the packs?

and a question about the outtake... What do you think Lissa will do about the Royals who think that Rose and Dimitri should not be allowed to keep the Royal titles?

Do you think that Dhampirs should have some rerisentation on the Royal councel?

Please take the quiz. I miss your answers.

Suzanna


	50. Commencing Again

Sorry for the huge delay in my posting. I realize that since August my posts have become completely erratic. Please accept my apologies. It seems like life has been conspiring against me.

Back in August I was trying to get my classroom and my school in order and ready for a new year. I had to try to get a head start on lesson plans and pre- preparing artwork. September brought a whole new set of kids and this year I have a mixed group of 2/12 to 4 year olds. When things at work were just getting settled my dad got burned and ended up hospitalized. It is now December 14 and he is now in a convalescent home till he is strong enough to come home to us. My sisters, my brother in law and I have been spending a lot of time in the hospital and the convalescent home with him. Reading Fanfics has been a link to sanity for me but I have not had the time or patience to write as much as I love too.

Adding insult to injury; my mind has also sabatoged me by giving me a new story that wouldn't go away and lwt me work on what I wanted so I wrote it and posted it as a one shot with possabilities. Also Emma and Ben are bugging me to bring them together so they will be getting some attention soon. It is writen but I need to put Rose and Dimitri first.

I wanted to thank all of you who are still reading even with my awful slow posing. This chapter is short by my standards the next one is going to be filled with lots of sweet chocolate mousse (lemons)

* * *

**_Chapter Fifty: Commencing again  
_**

**Adrian's POV**

I chose the classroom at St. Vlad's where Lissa and I had done most of our practicing when she was still a student, for our dream walk. Once she was asleep I pulled her in. When she materialized she looked around till she spotted me.

"Oh Adrian, I miss you so much!" She ran to me and gave me a hug worthy of a big brother. I embraced her and kissed the top of her head.

"I wish I could talk to you whenever like the way I do with my brother and My Lil' Dhampir. I have been watching what has been going on at the council meetings. I have tried to tell Rose what to say to Gerard but she is sure he won't want to know what her dead husband has to say."

"Have you been there even when she isn't?" She sat on the ground as we used to when we would practice.

"Yes, I have to say that though I agree with you whole heartedly, you are in for a real uphill battle. Even the Council members who don't mind her keeping a Royal name and Title are not so keen on giving her or any other Dhampir a place on the council."

"Part of my Oath that I swore during my coronation was to make our world better for both Moroi and Dhampir. I am just trying to do what I promised to do."

"I know and you are doing a wonderful job. I will talk to the higher spirits and see what I can do to help you."

"Thank you Adrian." She pulled me into an embrace.

"Anything; for the Queen. I best let you go; Angelina is waiting to pull you into a dream walk with the other children. I will talk to you soon." I sent her back to her own dreams where I knew Angelina would find her. I knew that Angelina was excited to tell her mommy that she was going to be giving her and the other children a new sister. With the boys already being nearly a year old Lissa has not yet started to think about having another. But I know that even if it is a bit soon she will be happy.

My next step was to go to the council of angels and saints. I closed my eyes and prayed to be brought to them. Soon I felt their grace surround me. When I opened my eyes I stood before them and to my amazement they were joined by a woman with flowing red hair. I recognized her from her portrait that hung on the walls at St Columban's Academy in Ireland.

"Rise dear child and speak your heart." Her voice was soft and warm. Her face was so beautiful and it was full of love.

"Great Guardian Donnelley, Council of the pure; I come before you to ask permission and guidance to help the Royal Moroi Queen."

"Adrian, spirit husband to the Wielder of Life and Death, why do you ask to help and guide the Queen when your task is help and Guide my Granddaughter?"

"I ask this in part for the benefit of my wife and brother as well as all other Dhampir. The Queen wishes to give Dhampirs a place in the court. She swore her during her oath to help improve the lives of Moroi and Dhampir. She believes that the best way to improve the lives of Dhampirs is to give them a say in what happens to them. I believe she is right. My brother and our wife are lucky that they are given as much freedom as they are but most guardians live a life of servitude. It is time to make Dhampir and Moroi equals. I ask that I be allowed to help the Queen accomplish this goal"

"I am proud of you my grandson. Rosemarie was lucky to have found you. Let us confer for a moment and we will give you our decision."

The council turned inward and the soft murmuring of their voices could hardly be heard. It took only a few minutes before they were ready. They again turned to face me.

"Dearest grandson we have decided that your request has merit. We have seen the struggle that the wielder of Life and Death has had as she tries to put her hunting packs together. Rosemarie will not approve so for her best interest you must send her away for a month. I assure you that we will protect the Queen for her.

Tell Vasilisa to seek counsel from Viktor Dashkov. He will be her primary guide but when needed, you will help her too."

"Thank you council. Thank you Great Guardian." I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was no longer in their presence.

**Lissa POV**

As soon as I had left Adrian's dream I was pulled into one with my Angelina. We were outside in the sunlight in one of the gazebos. Arianna, Isabela and Angelina were playing tea party. Christian was blowing bubbles to the twins who were sitting in front of him trying to catch them. A bubble landed on Jaden's nose; this brought such a fit of laughter out of little Christian Oliver. (We usually just call him Oliver) Jaden looked cross-eyed as he tried to look at the bubble on his nose. Oliver reached out and popped the bubble making Jaden laugh. I sat in the background and watched my family.

I loved dream walking with Angelina. At first it made me miss her even more but now I grateful that I didn't completely loose her. She is still a part of my family. I am proud of her; she chose to be a spirit guide. Unlike Adrian, who has to concentrate on me to pull me into a dream walk; Angelina just has to want me. If I am asleep I will be pulled to her and sometimes like right now she might not even know that I am there. She looked up and saw me.

"Mommy!" Angelina ran into my open arms. "I love you mommy." She whispered into my ear.

"I love you to my sweet angel."

Chris and I played with our children till it was almost time to wake up. Angelina sent the other children back to their own dreams. Then she grabbed a hold of mine and Christian's hand.

"Mommy, Daddy I get to tell you about a surprise. Do you want to know what it is?" She was so excited and her little body was bouncing up and down waiting for our answer.

"Of course sweetie, what do you want to tell us?" Chris tapped her on the nose. She leaned in close to us. Her voice was soft but her excitement was still evident.

"Daddy, you gave Mommy another baby." She leaned down to my belly. "Hello in their baby sister."

The look of Joy on Christian's face brought tears to my eyes. Angelina gave us both a hug and sent us back to our dreams.

I woke up to Christian kissing me sweetly on the lips.

"Good morning, Mother of my children. Have you told Rose yet?"

"No but since I was asleep my mental walls are down, she is blocking me right now so I am not sure what she knows."

Suddenly there was the sound of someone running from the third floor to the second. I began to laugh.

"She knows." No sooner had I said it; the door burst open and Rose rushed into the room and jumped on the foot of our bed. We made room for her and she sat between us.

"Oh my God, I am so happy for you guys! At the rate you guys are going you are going to catch up to me. It looks like you will bring the Dragomir line back after all." She gave us both a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I have to get back to Dimitri. I think I left him a bit confused."

"Yes you did and I have to say that I am still a bit confused. Lissa is everything Ok?"

"Yes Dimitri everything is perfect."

"Angelina just gave us the good news. Lissa is going to have another baby. This one is going to be a girl. Now with Ari and Izzy we will have three beautiful daughters." Chris gave me another sweet kiss. "I hope she looks just like you Liss."

"Congratulations to you both. How far along are you? I can't even see the baby's aura yet."

"Well since that I just had a cycle a month ago…I am guessing maybe a few days?" I had to giggle. If it were not for the fact that Angelina had told me I wouldn't believe it. I would have been worried about miscarrying again but the fact that Angelina was given permission to tell me makes me feel confident that everything will go fine.

"I just realized something." Rose had a funny look on her face. "Lissa, you and my mom are going to be pregnant at the same time. My year of abstinence is almost up and as soon as it is I am going to be joining you. I never thought you, my mom and I would be pregnant at the same time. How weird is that?"

The look on Rose's face as she contemplated this made us all laugh and soon she was joining in. Dimitri and Rose left so that we could get dressed for the day. I wanted to take the day off and spend it celebrating with my family but I unfortunately The Queen doesn't really get to take too much time off.

This is the third week in June so the children at the Court Academy are preparing for the end of the year exams. Our first senior class consists of 7 students. We have two spirit wielders; one shadow kissed Moroi who is bonded of one of the spirit wielders. One shadow kissed novice who is bonded to a student in a lower grade. The last two seniors are Moroi whose families live at court and chose to go to school near home. Rose and Dimitri have come up with a trial for the novice and her bondmate to do together.

Thankfully between planning the Trial and weeding through applicants for the hunting packs; Rose has been too busy to spend too much time in my head. I have been able to keep my blocks up during the council meetings. I normally don't hide anything from her but I really want to keep her out of my fight to give the Dhampirs the right to have seats on the council. I know that the Zeklos Prince and the Drozdov Princess are both looking to use my love of Rose and Dimitri as the reason behind my fight. The truth is that they are a large part of the reason that I want to do this. I have seen how Dhampirs are treated like second class citizens. Because of how things have worked out for them and the relationship that I have with them Rose and Dimitri are not quite treated like other Dhampirs. It bothers me to see the Guardians around court and know that they don't feel represented. Decisions get made for them and they have to go along with it. I know that people like Gerard Zeklos and Ivanna Drozdov would like nothing more than to strip Rose and Dimitri of their title and keep them under thumb.

Farther more I have heard rumblings about having Rose's children tested and experimented on. There is no way on God's green earth that I am going to let anyone touch my nieces and nephews. We already know a lot about them from a medical stand point. Sasha has been very thorough in documenting everything from blood tests to rate of growth and development. Sasha doesn't treat the children like some kind of science experiment, but she realizes that the more they know about Rose's children the better she is able to care for them. Also someday Emma will have children and there is a very high probability that her children will be like Rose's. Knowing what to expect will help Emma in the future.

After my morning of counsel meetings I decided to take a quick nap on the couch in my office. Just knowing I am pregnant I want to start taking extra good care of myself so that the baby will be healthy. Sleep found me quickly and I was pulled into a dream walk.

**~oOo~**

**Rose POV**

I knew that something was up with Lissa. She asked me to clear my schedule for some traveling she needs me and Dimitri to do, for the next month! She was being evasive about what our itinerary was and I was getting frustrated with trying to figure it out. I tried the bond but we have both learned how to block each other from certain subjects and information while still allowing each other to have access to everything else. It wasn't time for us to make visits to the academies to see how the integrated defense programs were going. Besides since I have begun to get very involved in putting my packs together she had re-delegated the program to Tasha and Aaron.

She knows that I have my hands full with Pack formation. It was no use protesting against her….. She pulled the Queenly command card on me. I know that I can dream walk with my kids and family but it isn't the same as being with them in person. I am going to miss my kids if I have to be gone for a whole month. If she isn't carful I am going to put Tatiana's old ring tone on my phone for her number. Ok so that would be harsh, but funny. I bet Chris would get a kick out of it.

Dimitri and I are scheduled to leave tomorrow afternoon. Today our first class of seniors from the Court Academy graduated and we are having an end of the year party for all of the upperclassmen. It feels strange because it really isn't that long ago that I was in High school yet at the same time it feels like a lifetime ago. I did drag Dimitri out on the dance floor for a few songs. I never got to dance with my soul mate when I was in school so I decided that even if it was weird to have teachers dancing I was going to dance with him.

Emma looks beautiful tonight. Ben noticed too. Not long ago I started to notice how people feel about the people around them. I can tell who is in love and who is not. I can tell if people like or dislike each other. Emma and Ben have become very close friends but from the first time that they met I have felt a connection between them. It is still too early for me to share any of my suspicions with them. I guess I will have to see how things look when Dimitri and I get back. In the mean time I will have Adrian discreetly watching over them for me.

I am worried about how Dimitri will take things they are after all both special to him. Emma may be sixteen and adopted but he feels towards her the same as he does for Theresa or Alyssa; Emma is just as much his daughter as ether of them are. Ben is his little brother. Though Dimitri is still not close to Nathan he has taken to his brother. Yet at the same time I know that he is suspicious about the relationship between Emma and Ben too. I have caught him giving Ben a warning glare when he catches him looking at Emma.

After the dance/party Dimitri and I were utterly exhausted. We took a quick shower together; I made love to him in our special way by my sharing my blood and our love flowing around us. Finally the weight of the last few weeks pulled us both into the oblivion of sleep. The last thought in my mind as I fell asleep is that tomorrow I will finally be able to physically make love to Dimitri and no matter where Lissa is sending us; we will make love. I snuggled closer to my Russian demigod and fell into a blissful sleep.

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**Quiz Questions**

1. Do you think that Lissa is doing the right thing by sending Rose and Dimitri away for a month?

2. So far both Tatiana and Lissa have managed to keep people from messing with Rose and her family. Do you think that they will be able to keep people Like Princess Ivanna, and Prince Gerard from gaining votes in council?

3. What is going to be the end result of Lissa's and Adrian's effort in changing things with the Moroi Council?

4. Where do you think That Lissa is sending Rose and Dimitri?

5. What is going to happen with Ben and Emma when Rose and Dimitri get home?

Thank you for reading please review.

Suzanna


	51. A Honeymoon

Ok so my story so far has been tame and the T rating has fit but this chapter is a M+ rating. The M scene is marked and I ask that if you are young and innocent please skip it since it really isn't needed in the plot. Also if you are offended by graphic details then I ask you to skip it also. If you are asking, why did I write it in the first place? Well I have two reasons. One is that Dimitri and Rose have waited this long to be allowed to have a real marital relationship. And second, the voices in my head wanted me to so I obeyed them.

If you think I should remove it let me know and I will post it as its own one shot or perhaps I will change the rating on my story to M.

Apparently I am not done with this story so I am going a few more chapters before my epilogue.

Thank you for reading and I hope you like it. As I have said before I do not Own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

Suzanna

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Chapter Fifty-one: A Honeymoon

Alberta POV

Rose and Dimitri's plane will be landing any moment now. I watched as it began its descent began. It made the customary wide circle over the school at it descended. I wonder what is going through their minds about this mysterious trip that Queen Vasilisa is sending them on. When she called me this morning she told me that Rose was upset but trying to be patient with her. Though she did tell me that Rose changed the ringtone on her phone. Now when Lissa calls Rose's phone will play a warped version of the English song, God Save the Queen. I remember when Adrian was a guest here and he used the same ringtone for Queen Tatiana. I could hear King Christian laughing about it in the background. Rose and Dimitri exited the plane looking a bit rumpled. I don't want to know what they were doing on that plane.

"Hello Rose, Dimitri." I completely set aside formalities and hugged them. In so many ways these two were my friends and family. I get to see them relatively often but I miss them just the same. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the first Graduation Ceremony for your new Academy."

"Completely forgiven. Next year we will have to coordinate with each other better. Besides it's about time that they do some remodeling and updating at this school. Are all of the children gone for the summer?"

"Everyone with a place to go. There are a few here who have lost their parents and are now in my care till they graduate. The youngest are only 2 and 3; Guardian Samantha Riva is taking charge of them because we feel they are too young to live in a dorm. She is living with them in guest housing since the Guardian dorms are not big enough. Altogether we have ten students with us throughout the summer remodel."

"I think we will have to figure out some better solution then Guest housing. Those poor kids need a warm loving environment. I remember Guardian Riva and I agree with your choice of care givers."

"She asked for the assignment, but yes she is a natural at being a mommy. We have some business to get to so we will discuss this matter later. I believe Queen Lissa asked you to deliver something to me?"

Rose took the messenger bag off her shoulder and handed it to me. I beckoned them to follow me and as expected they fell into step behind me. As we walked I pulled a key out of my pocked and used it to open the lock on the messenger bag. Inside was an envelope addressed to Rose. When I handed her the envelope she put her guardian mask up but not before I saw a glimmer of frustration. I could tell she was searching the bond for the answers to her questions.

"All this time I have been delivering a letter for myself. I think that despite my pulling spirits darkness from her she is still going insane." She tore into the envelope reading the letter; first to herself then to Dimitri

~~o~~o~~o~~

My dear sister, friend and bondmate

When you married Adrian the two of you went on a beautiful honeymoon. The day that you and Dimitri were bonded in the marriage of the heart you were denied any such luxury. I think that after all that you have been through you deserve a honeymoon. I have been searching your thought and I have realized that though I would want to send you to the most luxurious resort; you long to come back to where everything began. Here is your chance. I have added as much luxury to your cabin as I possibly could without ruining it for you.

There are some rules. You may stay at St. Vlad's the whole month if you wish or you may travel to anywhere you want. You may not return home. If you do return home I have instructed the guardians to have you arrested and sequestered to that beautiful home in the Whitsunday Islands that Adrian bought. (Which you still have yet to use) You will remain there till your month long honeymoon is over.

I want you to use this time to reconnect as Rose and Dimitri. Since before you restored Dimitri to himself you have been; parents, Guardians, instructors excreta. Yes I know you still are parents but I want you to get to just be you without the responsibilities that come with being who you are. I will take care of the kids; and the members of your pack will work together to sort through the candidates for new hunting packs. We will have a good selection ready for you when you come home.

Please don't be mad at me I am doing this for your own good. I love you both more than you can know. Enjoy this. I will be keeping most of my walls up to give you privacy and so that you won't be tempted to spy on things here. I will let you in my head for short visits every few days only because I know how uncomfortable it is for both of us not to keep tabs on each other.

Love Lissa.

~o~o~o~

"Now I know she is going nutty. She could have told me to take a week or two off for a romantic vacation." Dimitri actually laughed when she said this.

"Roza you know you wouldn't have left even for a week. You only took two weeks for your honeymoon with Adrian and you didn't even have to start active Guarding for two whole months. With all we have going on right now I would have been surprised if you took anything more than a day off. I am glad she did this. I plan on making good use of our little vacation."

I chuckled a bit. Rose has to know that Dimitri is right. I know that though she would love to take some time alone with him she is sometimes almost as duty bound as her mother. She would never neglect her family for work but she will most definitely neglect her own wants and needs for her Moroi and for her duty as the wielder of Life and Death. What I understand of Rose's magic is that it is rooted in her love. Taking the time to bring Dimitri and her closer can only make her that much stronger as a wielder.

We had gotten half way to the cabin. I pulled a letter from my pocket. This letter was from me; I wanted to let them know that for the duration of their stay the gym would be free for a two hour block from 6-8 pm and 3-5 am for their own personal use. (This had been the schedule that Rose and Dimitri used to train on.) I assured them that they would have complete privacy. The Dhampir Dorm was being remodeled but they may wander and reminisce privately in their old dorms as well. I knew that this would probably embarrass the heck out of them but I also feel certain that they will take advantage of any opportunities to enjoy their old haunts in ways that they couldn't before. Along with my note was the key for the cabin. I handed it to Dimitri and turned to face them.

**ROSE POV**

"Well I am sure that you know your way from here." Alberta gave us a knowing smile. "The kitchen in the cabin is stalked and ready so if you aren't able to make it to the dining hall for meals your set. The staff and students would like it if you joined us for dinner tomorrow night in the staff dining hall."

With that she turned towards the school leaving us alone. Dimitri wrapped an arm around my waist as he read the note that Alberta gave him. He read it out loud to me but I barely heard him. For the first time in years I was nervous around Dimitri. After the make out session on the plane my body was primed and ready. My heart and body ache to be one with him again. It's not like this is my first time having sex. I guess that is the reason I am so nervous. I am afraid that I won't 'feel' right to Dimitri anymore. A few months ago I overheard a conversation that has made me a bit self conscious.

~o~O~o~ Flashback ~o~O~o~

I had spent my morning in Tasha's office helping her with the integrated combat program. She had taken over shortly after I had the twins but she still conferred with me often. I hadn't gotten my workout in and didn't want to disturb the students in the Court Academy's gym so I opted for the court gym. Once changed, I decided to do some palaties and yoga stretches. Across the way, at the weight machines were a couple of court guardians. I recognized them but didn't really know them. They began commenting to each other about my physique.

They were far enough from me that I shouldn't have heard them but unknown to all but Dimitri, Lissa, Adrian and Sasha; my hearing and other senses are much better than an ordinary Dhampir but not as good as a Strigoi. It is something Dimitri and I have in common but for different reasons. Mine is a gift as a Wielder of Life and Death. Dimitri's enhanced senses are a leftover from his being Strigoi. I pretended that I could not hear them and within a few moments I really wished I hadn't.

"My god she is hot. I wouldn't mind getting with her. Can't believe how lucky Belikov is."

"Yeah she is a hot little number but I bet she is as loose as a tube sock."

"Why would you say that?"

"Think about it dude. She has a reputation that spans though her teens."

"I heard she wasn't as promiscuous as people thought."

"She has given birth to 4 kids. Not to mention that one day not long before Queen Tatiana stepped down I had overheard then Lord Ozera complaining to Lord Ivashkov. I heard him say "You rabbits go at it as many times in one night than most couples do in a week. Do you know how frustrating it is to the other couples in the house?" God she must be loud if everyone knows when they're at it."** I am so going to kill Christian for his big mouth.**

"I guess that is a lot of fucking but still she is young and hot. I still wouldn't mind a go."

"I still say she has got to be loose as a tube sock. Poor Belikov, I bet he was disappointed the first time."

I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and ran out without changing. As I ran I saw Sasha's husband, Andrew, round a corner near the asshats who were talking about me. His face was red and his hands in a fist. I ran though court and didn't stop till I was in my office at the school. Thankfully class was in session now and no one saw me. Adrian appeared and held me. (Well at least as well as a ghost can.) Fifteen minutes later there was a light rap at my door. I heard Andrew's voice so I let him in.

He had heard the whole conversation and had reprimanded the men. Since I am one of the Queen's personal guards I am a superior to all Guardians except for those on the Guardian council. Speaking about a fellow Guardian in a derogatory manor is a serious offence. We have to be able to trust each other with our lives; gossip and badmouthing undermines trust. The punishment is worse if the offence was against a superior.

Andrew also held me as I cried, then he told me not to worry about what they had said. He assured me that I would not be a disappointment to Dimitri. He assured me that from his experience with Sasha things go back to normal after childbirth. It might take a while but if I did the kegel exercises that Sasha had told me to do then I would defiantly be back to normal. He also told me that Dimitri loves me so much and that I shouldn't let the things those men said affect my ability to share something so sacred with the man I loved. Andrew is so shy that it was a bit surprising that he was speaking so frankly with me. I learned a new appreciation for him. I had never gotten as used to using the term Cousin as easily as Moroi do but from that day on I found it easier to call both Sasha and Andrew Cousin.

I thanked him for bringing me my clothes; I don't even want to know how he got them from the woman's locker room. I also thanked him for defending me. I asked him not to tell anyone about this because I didn't want it to get back to Dimitri. I decided not to chew Christian out. Moroi sometimes forget that guardians are in a room and like I said I really didn't want Dimitri or anyone to hear what those guys said about me. After that day I tried to forget the things those awful men said.

~o~O~o~ End Flashback ~o~O~o

As we have gotten closer to this day I have gotten more and more nervous about it. The fact that Dimitri and I have cut back on other types of fooling around because we were afraid of getting to hot and heavy and going all the way; has actually made my nervousness worse.

A few weeks ago we came really close to giving in. We had both given each other pleasure and we were enjoying the afterglow with some kissing and caressing. Slow sweet kisses morphed into heat and passion and before I knew it we had rolled so that Dimitri was on top of me with my legs wrapped around him. I could feel him at my entrance and all it would have taken was one small movement for ether of us for him to enter me. At the last moment we both froze. I think that the only thing that stopped us was my self-consciousness making me nervous and Dimitri's concern that I not get pregnant before Dr Isham say it is ok.

When I had my last appointment Dr Isham had added one more week to our year of abstinence. The good thing was that this had given us a chance to have a proper birthday party for Ally and Addy both are completely weaned and successfully using a feeder. I am still a bit milky but Dimitri doesn't seem to mind.

I leaned into Dimitri. He is my rock and I know that despite my fears everything will be ok. With the medical training he got with Ivan he would know if my body has changed; and he, I assume would know what to expect. I took a deep breath taking in his sent.

Our cabin looked different than it had before. It was bigger than I remember and now it had a small patio. I could tell that Lissa had added on to it. Part of me was a bit upset that she had changed anything at all and part of me was curious to see what my sister did for me. Dimitri took the key and opened it. I was about to walk inside but he scooped me up giving me a look with one eyebrow lifted. He was silently chiding me for trying to deny him the opportunity to carry me over the threshold. Funny how similar he and Adrian sometimes are even though they were not raised together and nether take after Nathan. Tatiana says that they take after Nathanial and from what she can tell, Benjamin, is like his brothers.

Once inside he kissed me sweetly as he set me on my own feet. I took his hand and we looked around the cabin. To me it was a bit more like a cottage. There was a main room with a fireplace, a sofa and little tables on the sides. Between the sofa and the fireplace was a large plush carpet. I was glad that it was not animal fur because the thought of making love on some dead animal pelt didn't appeal to me. The little kitchen was open to the main room by a small breakfast counter with tall chairs. As promised the kitchen was well stocked. Off the main room was the bed room.

Here was the original cabin, our cabin. They had built around the original structure only replacing unstable wood but leaving most of the original. I looked at the bed and was a little sad to find that there was a king size bed instead of the original twin sized cot. The original back wall where the bathroom had been looked like it had been replaced. There were two doors one was a spacious closet with a chest of drawers on each side.

The other door, lead to a new bathroom. There was a double sink and a huge shower tub like. At home my bathroom had a huge two person spa tub and a separate shower that had multiple heads at different levels to spray water at you from all directions. The design of this seemed to offer the best of both in a smaller package. The bathroom though luxurious still had a rustic feel to it. The floor was tiled with chiseled gray stone. The same stone was used on the shower wall and the counters but here it was sanded smooth but without a shine. Dozens of fluffy towels filled one wood and glass door cabinet. The second cabinet held all our favorite toiletries.

When we were done examining the bathroom Dimitri walked over to the bed. When he looked at me there was a bit of a mischievous smile on his face.

"This is our bed Roza. Just like the rest of the place it is changed and updated a bit but it is still ours." He pointed to the headboard. I realized that someone had taken the head and food boards form the old bed and put them together adding a few embellishments on the sides and center with new wood. Then I noticed something I hadn't before. On one side at the top a D was carved into the wood on the other side was an R. I recognized the writing. I looked at Dimitri in askance; I had begun to wonder if he had been involved in the planning and execution of Lissa's little surprise.

"Before we left on the rescue mission I came back here to think about what we were going to do. How we could be together. I had honestly been thinking about it for a few days before the attack because I knew I had to be with you. Once my plan had been made I took my little pocket knife and I carved our initials into the bed. Then I went to take you for that walk. Remember I had told you that we could be together without leaving our careers." I did remember.

"After you were taken I couldn't bring myself to come anywhere near this place. The day that Adrian proposed my mother brought me here to question me about my feelings for him, and you. She knew that in here I would never be able to lie to her and especially to myself. I sat on our bed but I never looked at it. I wonder if I would have been able to say yes to him if I had seen it."

Dimitri stood and took me into his arms. He started with my forehead and kissed every inch of my face. His lips fell softly on mine. I could only imagine that he wanted to make love to me slowly. I want him so bad but I am way too nervous for a slow session where I am sure he would be concentrating on the sensation of my body on his. I had to get past this damn worry; I know that Andrew was being honest with me when he told me that my body would be back to normal. Suddenly the answer came to me. I needed a rush of adrenaline and animal passion to get me past my stupid obsessive worrying.

"Comrade its 2:50, come spar with me?"

I asked in my most seductive voice and giving him my sexy man eater smile. I gave him the most heated passionate kiss, pulling all the sexual longing and frustration I had through the years of not being one with him. I pulled away from him and grabbed my workout clothes from my bag before he could come out of the stupor that my kiss had put him in. I ran out of the cabin and straight to the gym. I got changed quickly but waited a moment to compose myself before leaving the locker room.

Once in the main part of the gym I found Dimitri waiting for me already dressed in workout shorts with no shirt. The sparring mat was already out. His guardian mask was not on his face and he radiated sweet passion and lust with a hint of battle rage and yet also full of love. This is what I wanted, what I needed. I know that my face mirrored his because the emotions that he wore mirrored the ones I felt.

"Think you can pin me, Guardian Belikov? You know I think I might just have gotten to be better than you now." I taunted him. The only answer I got was a low growl.

He gave me a seductive smile and lunged at me. I sidestepped him and swung my leg out kicking him to the side. He recovered sending a quick round of punches to my upper body. I blocked all but one which hit me just above my left shoulder. Our sparring continued for about twenty minutes with neither of us pinning the other. Our passion grew with every point of contact and I could tell that I was involuntarily wielding love as I do when actually making love. Another thing that had happened while we were sparring was that we had begun to grab at each other's clothes; tearing away at them as we went. We circled each other breathing hard with desire and battle lust. He lunged at me but I flipped over him and swung my leg in a sweep as I landed. Hooking Dimitri's ankles with my leg I brought him down. He began to recover but I flipped him before he was able to get up. I pounced onto him pinning him down with my body. His hands were trapped under mine and my legs were straddling his.

**~o~O~o~ M rated scene. Spicy Hot Chocolate instead of sweet mousse. ~o~O~o~**

I leaned down and kissed him; a growl emanating from both of us. His erection which, was only at half mass while fighting, became full and hard. I let go of his hands so that I could tangle mine into his hair. He wrapped one hand in my hair pulling my mouth even closer to his. The other hand found its way to my breasts needing them roughly. I pulled my lips away from his to kiss and nip his neck. I could feel his manhood at my entrance.

I pulled my body up and completely off of him only to hop up and squat down still straddling over him. He took my hips in his hands positioning me before urging me down. I cried out in pleasure as I felt him fill me with himself. The raw passion and lust for me in his eyes was beautiful to me. His hands held my hips tightly guiding me down hard and deep.

The electrified sensation of his touch flooded ever nerve in my body. I began to feel my inner coil tighten. I took his hands form my hips and held them as I arched my back while riding him faster and harder than before. With one last hard thrust my body began to quiver. His arms wrapped around me as he kissed me through my orgasm.

With our bodies still connected he lay me down on the mat. He wrapped his arms under my bottom and positioned us so that he was kneeling in front of me with my lower body off the ground and my feet planted flat on the floor. Using my hips once again he held on to me. I quickly matched his rhythm and speed. I could feel him grow inside me signaling his eminent orgasm. I tightened my inner muscles to add more pressure on him. I felt my own body react with his and we both came calling each other's names.

**~o~O~o~ End of M scene. ~o~O~o~**

We fell to the mat in a tangle of arms and legs. We were panting hard after our 'workout.' I turned and looked into the bottomless brown eyes of my love. This time our kisses were sweet and loving. I could feel him wielding spirit to me healing the bruises form our intense sparring. There was no need for me to send him healing love since it was already being sent along with all the other forms of love I have for my husband.

Dimitri brought his change of clothes into the girl's locker room and showered with me. Though we did kiss and caress each other we were both too spent to do anything else. We dressed and headed out to clean the mat. In the supply closet there was a note.

~oOo~

Thank you for cleaning up after yourselves. Guardian Lasiter who is new and not quite used to taking orders from a woman has been put on equipment duty till the end of December will appreciate it. Once you have cleaned it please leave it out so that Lasiter may put it away for the night. You will find it out and ready for use during your training times. I hope you enjoyed your workout.

Alberta.

~oOo~

Dimitri and I both blushed but didn't talk about it at all while we went to work. Using a disinfectant cleanser and cleaning rags we went over the whole 10 x 10 foot mat. As much as we enjoyed this I don't think either of us felt right leaving it un-scrubbed knowing that, students as well as our old friends used it for sparring. I realized that Alberta seemed fairly comfortable with the idea that we might use the mat and gym for more intimate purposes. I had to wonder how often male and female guardians gave in to temptation while training. While walking out I asked.

"Dimitri, is this a common occurrence? Do Guardians tend to get together like this?" He gave a full belly laugh. Taking me into his arms for a kiss before walking me out with one arm still resting on my back; he answered me.

"It is the first time that I have ever but I can tell you that during nearly every training session with you it was on my mind. As you know most male guardians don't often have the opportunity to have lasting relationships. Female guardians sometimes have short relationships with Moroi men mainly so that they can have children. Dhampirs are naturally drawn to each other even if we aren't supposed to be able to reproduce together. We understand each other better than most Moroi do. Long story short, it has been known to happen."

"Dimitri let's go eat with the staff. I am too hungry to cook or wait for you to make something."

"I agree."

Once in the staff dining hall we filled our trays and decided to sit with Alberta, Stan and Jane.

"Good evening everyone, mind if we join you?"

"Not at all."

"Please, have a seat."

"We'd be delighted."

"Thank you." Dimitri and I said in unison.

It was then that I noticed Guardian Reva, walking through the line with her tray loaded with three plates and three little children following her. I quickly excused myself and rushed to help her. I took the tray and gave her another so that she could get her own dinner. While she served her plate I looked at the children.

The oldest might have been 5 but my sense of children's growth and ages is a bit off. My little Theresa is only 3 ½ but you would think she is seven already. Xander could pass for five. The boy in front of me looked a little younger than Xander. He had red hair blue eyes and freckles. He reminded me of mason. The youngest looked like it could have been his baby sister. The little girl in the middle had black hair brown eyes and a beautiful face. Her fangs barely showed when she smiled at me. I chatted a little with Guardian Reva who told me to call her Lettie.

At the table I noticed that someone had joined another table to ours and added 4 more seats. Two of the seats had boosters on them. She set the three plates down then her own. Stan stood up and took the trays form her. He came back with a tray loaded with Juice and one soda. He placed then in front of each plate.

"Anthony you sit there." The oldest child went to the seat she pointed to. "Jenifer, you go sit beside him." Stan picked up the Moroi child and helped onto the booster seat. "Amber you can sit here." She picked up the little red headed girl and sat her in her seat.

While I watched them get the children seated I noticed that even though there was no interaction between Stan and Lettie I could feel an attraction. I could also feel parental love from both of them for the children. I nudged Dimitri, whispering so low that I knew only Dimitri's enhanced hearing could hear.

"Look at their aura's I think they are falling in love." He gave me a minute nod confirming my suspicions. I was a little grossed out at the idea of Stan being involved with anyone romantically but still I was happy for them. Stan is about the same age as my parents and Lettie is maybe about ten years younger.

"Alberta, I thought that Lettie was taking care of two children?"

"She only has room for two so Anthony sleeps in a dorm room."

"How common is it to have such young children come to be in an academies care?" Her face got a little sad.

"It is getting to be more and more common. When you were young I only had three. You hadn't lost your mother but for her own reasons she couldn't keep you and she didn't want to send you to her cousins and sisters in the Dhampir colony. It is becoming a serious concern for all the academies."

I am going to talk to Lissa and see what we can do for these children and for the ones in the other academies. And I think that I will make it part of my mission as the huntress to try to find as many parents as I can so that we can reunite them."

~oOo~

Dimitri and I took a walk around the wards before bed. The sun already hi in the summer sky when we retired for the night. We made love one more time slowly and sweetly before falling asleep In each other's arms.

* * *

Ok now that you have read my story here is my quiz

1. what do you think about the way Lissa went about telling Rose that this was a honeymoon?

2. Did you like the way that the cabin was modified?

3. What do you think of Stan having a girlfriend?

4. Do you think Rose and Dimitri will stay there for the whole month?

5. Should I remove the M scene and make it a seperate one shot for those who want to read it there? should I change the raiting on my story for this one chapter ?

Please please let me know what you think

Suzanna AKA SnowGoose


	52. Getting to Know You

It is December 21, 2010 Christmas is coming soon. I am very glad to be writing again. It has been my outlet for the stress in life. I have gotten some very nice reviews. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I wrote it all in one day and I hope that it all came out well.

It is my goal to get this story done before I hit the year mark of when I started working on it. I had started in I think in early February. When I first started to publish I already had 15 chapters written and waiting for a beta reader. The beta reader thing didn't work so I made the decision to forge ahead anyway. Since then I do believe my writing and spelling skills have improved and I sincerely apologize for all my mistakes. If there is anyone out there who would like to apply for the job of being my beta I would love to consider it.

I have recently teamed up with VampireGirl4EverAndEver on her story: Why are you back. please read it and support us.

I definitely understand how beneficial it is to have someone pre-read for you. If you are interested PM me. I prefer someone who is older as some of my stories are for mature readers.

Enough rambling it is 3:30 am and I need to sleep so I can write another chapter in one of the four stories I have published and not yet published. I do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you.

* * *

_**Chapter Fifty Two: Getting to Know You, Falling Even More in Love with You**_

**Rose POV**

I woke up in the morning embraced in the arms of my Russian Demigod. When I stretched I was surprised to find that I was sore. Andrew was right my body did indeed go back to normal. I hadn't noticed in the heat of the moment but I think that between the Kegel exercises and the passage of time I might be as tight as I was my first time with Adrian. I think I am definitely just as sore, passably just a little more. I had to laugh at myself. How could I have let what those two asses said affect me so badly. The arms encircling me tightened and soft lips kissed my forehead.

"What has my sweet Roza laughing so early in the morning?" I really didn't want to explain to him about my previous nervousness but at the same time I feel like I have been lying to him by not telling him in the first place.

"I am laughing at myself, at my own insecurities."

"I noticed that you were getting anxious over the last few days. I was worried that you had thought I might hurt you when we made love. Then when you asked me to spar with you I knew you weren't worried about my strength. But please tell me, my love, what did have you so nervous? He caressed my arm and back.

"Dimitri I will tell you but I know it is going to piss you off and bring out the angry Russian God that everyone told me you were. You have to promise me that you will not say anything until after I have finished telling you. Also I want you to know that the matter has already been dealt with." As I spoke I could feel his muscles tighten but he kept caressing my arm and back reassuringly.

"I will listen but I want every detail."

I nodded in agreement. Bracing myself by resting my head on his chest and breathing in his scent I began my story. He tensed here and there and I know he wanted to interrupt every once in a while. When I was done telling him everything I felt relieved. I could feel Dimitri try to stay calm. Really there is not much he could do at this point. Months have passed and the men have been punished. If he confronted them he would just be giving them something else to gossip about. He kissed my head and breathed in my scent as I had done earlier. Funny, how we were both calmed by each other's presence and scent.

"Rose you said that they were dealt with but not how."

"Well first Andrew punched them both then he took them to Guardian Hans, Hans reduced their pay for six months; and they more or less on house arrest for those six months. Work is the only reason they may leave their dorms. As for work they get to work the night shift in the records room doing data entry and filing. They also get to spend three hours a day gardening and scooping poop at that little dog park at the far end of court. I have been told that once you get sent to the records room you have slim to no chance to get back to active guarding."

"Christian should be reminded to watch his tongue. It was his mouth that gave them fuel for gossip."

"Yes, I have been thinking about that but I don't think either of us should be the one to talk to him because this affects both of us personally. If I tell Lissa then she might kill him. I was thinking that since Andrew was the one who was present and dealt with the men I think he would be the best person to talk to Christian."

"Your right, if you are I talk with him we might do or say something inappropriate to do or say to our King, regardless of our relationship to him."

"Exactly, I will call Andrew later and let him know that I want him to talk to Christian."

"I still don't understand why you were laughing."

"When I woke up this morning I noticed how sore I am and I wouldn't be sore if I was loose."

"Good God Roza, you were anything but loose. Not only were you tight but you have the most amazing muscle control. I have heard that it feels good when a woman clamps down on your manhood with her inner muscles but I could never imagine it would feel that good." His eyes registered alarm as he processed the rest of what I said. "Roza I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you. We can wait a few days and I will be gentler with you next time." He placed his hand over my lower stomach and began sending healing spirit to me. I grabbed his hand a way.

"Don't you dare take this pain away? Really it isn't bad at all. I like it because it is a reminder that we are finally one again. You will not treat me like some fragile china doll and you will not make me wait days before you take me again. Take me now and make me scream your name."

**~oOo~ Dark Chocolate mousse scene. ~oOo~**

Dimitri rolled me over and attacked me with kisses. He trailed his kisses down from my lips to my neck then to my breasts. (According to what we have read I need to continue to lactate in order for me to remain immune to the vampire endorphins.) Dimitri emptied them before kissing his way back up to my lips. He positioned himself but waited till I signaled him in some way that I was ready and wanting him. I wrapped my legs around him pushing on his bottom. This was all the encouragement he needed. He plunged into me, moving deeply in a rhythm that no normal Dhampir would ever be able to accomplish. My inner coil tightened and I came calling his name. He slowed and kissed me sweetly while I recovered but he wasn't done yet soon he brought our pace back up. I came again another two times. The last time Dimitri buried his face in my neck and sucked without biting me. I found myself actually screaming, his name as we both began to tremble. After he laid his head on my breast, whispering words of love to me in Russian.

**~oOo~ End of love scene ~oOo~**

I woke up to the smell of French toast, bacon and my favorite tea. I pulled on my silk robe and wondered into the living room. Dimitri was just plating the food and setting it on a bed tray. He was so intent on what he was doing he didn't even hear me. I turned around and went back to bed. I tried to get back into the position I had woken up in. I closed my eyes and faked the deep breathing of sleep. Dimitri entered silently. He placed the bed trays on the dresser and leaned down to kiss me. I stretched and kissed him back as I sat up.

"Faker" he breathed into my ear. I looked at him in amazement. I thought I did a believable job of acting asleep. "I left you wearing only a smile on your face and a blanket covering your beautifully bare body." He reached down and moved the robe out of the way so that he could caress a breast. I pulled his lips to mine but before our kiss could become passionate he pulled away. "Food first my Roza, you're going to need the energy for what I have planned for you."

On my lap he placed a tray with four slices of thick French toast topped with blueberry compote and whipped cream, bacon, and tea. My stomach growled loudly. He chuckled and sat next to me with his own tray. We spent our day in bed kissing talking and sleeping in each other's embrace.

We met the staff for dinner again but this time we were the guests of honor. All of my old teachers were there even Ms. Hoffman who retired while I had been on the run with Lissa, and the guardians whom had been Dimitri's friends and collogue were there. It was nice to reconnect with everyone. It was funny that the last time I had seen most of them I was their student. Now not only was I a guardian and teacher myself but I was technically the superior of every guardian in the room since I was Lissa's Lead guardian. The party ended at 9:00 am.

Dimitri and I borrowed an SUV and went shopping for some new work out outfits since we had torn the only ones we brought to shreds. I don't think that the clerk had ever sold so many outfits at one time but Dimitri and I thought it might be a good Idea if we were prepared, in case we tore each other's clothes off in a sparring match again, and again and again. :D

I had backed a picnic for us and we took a hike in the nearby mountains. We ate our lunch by a water fall that had a large pool of water. The summer flow was not nearly as strong as it would have been in the winter so it was safe to swim in the pool without getting pulled under. After Lunch we skinny-dipped in the cold water. Behind the waterfall was a smooth wall about three feet from the falling water. Dimitri took me again behind the water fall. Pressing me up against the wall we made love. This time he was sweet and gentle and slow.

When it was time for us to go Dimitri helped me back into the car. I must have winced when I climbed back into the SUV. He stayed beside me door not wanting to leave my side.

"Rose, are you still sore? I am so sorry, I think I have been letting my pent up passion get the better of me." I took his right hand and kissed it.

"Dimitri, when I was first with Adrian it took me the better part of a week for my body to get used to being so sexually active. Most couples even those on their honeymoon are not as active. I think it has something to do with the fact that I wield love. It makes me and my partner more passionate. I knew that I might go though the same process of adjustment again. It might be a little worse this time because you really are the Bigger brother. The only way to get used to it is to go through it. It is nothing like the pain of childbirth, but like the pain of childbirth; it is to me, a beautiful kind of pain."

Dimitri looked into my eyes before taking me into his arms. I could feel his healing spirit. I tried to pull away but he tightened his hold.

"Please my Roza, even if it is a beautiful pain I cannot bear the idea that it is me that has caused you pain in any way." I relented, right now I needed to make love to him I the way that is all our own. The moment I thought of it my love began to wield around us. Inclining my head so as to give him access to my neck, I ran my fingers though his hair then grabbed hold of the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Please, my love." I begged him. He began to kiss my neck ever so softly. Gently he let his fangs lengthen and sink into my skin. A burst of love flowed between us as he fed. When he was done taking what he needed he kissed the place where he had bitten. His lips were the conduit he used to send me healing spirit. I held him in my arms for quite some time. He kissed my head softly before pulling away and walking around the car so he could get in.

The summer heat and warm air that blew through the open windows relaxed me. Dimitri and I drove in comfortable silence, down the mountain we had hiked. The lack of sleep from spending our night shopping and our little excursion must have tired me out. The next thing I knew I was in bed naked in the arms of my naked demigod. I sighed in contentment; letting myself drift off to sleep again.

The first week of our honeymoon flew by. We spent our time swimming in the lake, training and other things in the gym, going off for moonlit walks, and just talking to each other. I felt like I learned more about Dimitri in the last week than I had in all the years that I have known him.

One thing that had amazed me most was the extent of his medical training. Ivan's father had paid for Dimitri to take the classes with Ivan. The Moroi counsel had denied Lord Zeklos's request to let Dimitri get his license to practice but he had been though every step with Ivan. After Ivan's death Lord Zeklos offered Dimitri the position as his Guardian and the opportunity to work in his practice as a Physician's assistant. Dimitri had declined because he felt it would remind him too much of Ivan, whom he missed dearly. It wasn't on his Guardian file because it wasn't relevant. I had once read his file and it did mention him excelling as a triage medic.

The morning of our seventh day there I left Dimitri sleeping but put a note on my pillow letting him know I would be back shortly. I walked to the infirmary. The nurse was not at her desk so I went straight to Dr. Olendzki's office. I knocked timidly. When she saw me at her door she gave me a wide smile and let me in.

"So what can I do for you Guardian Hathaway?"

"Please call me Rose. I was wondering if I could ask you about infertility."

"Oh I wasn't aware that you were having difficulty. How long have you been actively trying?"

"A week."

"Rose that is hardly considered infertility. In fact a year isn't really unfathomable."

"For me it is. I have always gotten pregnant the first time I have sex."

"Even if you are already pregnant it would be too soon to know."

"Um I am a little different. With each of my pregnancies I have thrown up and felt different the very next day. With Theresa and Alexander the morning sickness didn't come on full force till two months in and lasted mostly till my forth month with an occasional recurrence throughout. With Adrian and Alyssa it was full force from day one till the last day. It has been a week and I feel…well not pregnant."

"So in the year since you had the twins you haven't had sex with Dimitri, at all?"

"Not once. Dr Isham wanted us to take a break from having children because I had complications and a high risk pregnancy with the twins. She said my body needed rest. Dimitri and I decided that we didn't want anything between us the first time we made love so no condoms. We decided to wait."

"Rose when was your last period?"

"The first day was 12 days ago. It lasted my usual 3 days and was over two days before we had sex. We have had enough sex to have me pregnant by now. Believe me it isn't for lack of trying."

"My dear, you aren't even fertile yet."

"I wasn't supposed to be when I got pregnant the first time. I was due to start my period 4 days after I got pregnant and supposedly stress is supposed to suppress ovulation. The attack on the school and loosing the love of my life should have been enough stress but it wasn't. It is part of my burden and gift as the wielder of life and death that I get pregnant that easily. But it has to be with Dimitri. The only reason it worked with Adrian was because He is Dimitri's brother and 'my life was destined to be interwoven with theirs since before Dimitri's great, great, great, great, great, great, great-grandmother was born. I am supposed to have no less than 6 children the first two are a wielder of life and death and a spirit wielder. The last four are elemental wielders. Maria, I have prophesies and legends up to here telling me I should be pregnant already. I am not and something has to be wrong."

I began to cry. She wrapped me in her arms and let me cry.

"Rose getting upset isn't going to help. Relax and enjoy your honeymoon. If by the end of the month you still are not pregnant then I will contact Dr. Isham and we will look into it, ok? In the meantime keep eating right in preparation for another baby."

"Ok Dr Olendzki, thank you for your help. I think I need some alone time to think, maybe I will go to my old dorm."

I text Dimitri letting him know that I needed some alone time to reflect. About two hours later I got a reply. It read: Ready or not here I come. I laughed and wondered if he could even find me. A few minutes later I heard a tapping on my forth story window. I rushed over to open it.

"How on earth did you find me?"

"Easy this is almost always were you came when you were upset either here or the lake. Since you were not at the lake I knew you had to be here."

"What makes you think I am upset?" He gave me a gentle smile as he took my hands into his and sat me on the bed.

"We have been making love for a week and still you aren't pregnant. I know you feel duty bound to have all six babies as soon as possible."

"It is more than feeling duty bound. I want the child I carry to be yours. I know you love all the children the same whether they are biologically yours or Adrian's or adopted, but I want to give you more children."

"Roza I love you so much and I would be just as happy with the five children we have as I would if we had twenty five."

"Oh God, you don't think I might have that many do you?" He looked at my expression and laughed full and hard.

"Roza we are talking about you. As long as we have the money to provide for them and the time and energy to give them the love and attention they need and deserve then we can have as many as you want.

Dimitri and I snuggled on my bed talking and enjoying each other's company. At lunch we ate in the staff dining hall with Lettie, Stan and the children. After lunch Dimitri and I joint them for some play time on the lower campus playground till it was time for dinner.

Dimitri had something special planned for me. He blindfolded me and guided me I could tell we were headed to the cottage but instead we diverted. I could hear the gentle lapping of the lake and smell the delectable smell of food. When he removed my blindfold, I found myself on the dock next to a beautifully set table.

**Dimitri POV**

When I woke up Rose was not in my arms. I could still feel the warmth of her body on the bed but in her place was a note.

**~oOo~**

My Dear Comrade:  
I have something I need to take care of this morning. I am sorry I was not there when you woke up but I am already thinking about the next time I get to see you. I will be in your arms again soon.  
Your Loving wife  
Roza

**~oOo~**

Rosemarie Hathaway Belikov Ivashkov. This is the name of my happiness. I had had a good life before I had met her; I was a well regarded Guardian. I had many friends though no one as close as Ivan. My mother, sisters and I have always been close even when I lived all my adult life on another continent. Grandmother Yeva and I have always had a very special relationship. She once told me that I was not complete but not to worry because one day I would find my missing piece.

When I had met Rose my world turned upside down. My heart began to feel things I have never felt for anyone. After the lust charm I realized that this was the girl who was my missing piece but it was wrong for us to be together in so many ways. It may have been wrong but that night in the cabin my world finally made sense.

I know what she is probably doing. The poor girl is worried that she isn't carrying yet and I am sure she has gone to the infirmary to discuss it with Maria Olendzki. I was concerned about it myself till last night when I dream walked with first with Yeva then with Adrian.

When I told Yeva that I was concerned, I know from a medical stand point that I couldn't have done damage to Roza; we have gotten a bit rough in the heat of passion but still not enough to do damage. Yet that is exactly what I feared. It is surprising that I would be talking with Yeva about my sex life but there isn't anything that I can't talk to Yeva about. She of course set me straight with a theory of her own. Perhaps God was giving Rosa the gift of time, time to enjoy her honeymoon before taking on the responsibility of carrying a child.

Adrian believes that Yeva is half right but that there is another aspect of it that I will have to figure out. Though as a spirit Adrian no longer feels longing and desire, I did not tell him I was concerned about rough sex. I just felt that would be WRONG on many levels. Adrian told me that he needed Rose and me to work on something for him that would help Lissa. He gave me the details then left to let Lissa and Tatiana know that we would be working on it.

Roza has been gone for almost an hour. I have already had breakfast and cleared the dishes. My test alert on my phone chimed. It was a text from my Roza

[[Hey Comrade I need some alone time to reflect I will meet up with you for lunch later. Roza]]

I sat in the living room thinking about her and how connected we are. I don't have the ability to get into her head like Lissa does but I can tell when she is upset. I remember a couple of months ago when she had come home extremely upset. That must have been when she had her encounter with those Jerks who made her feel cheep. She acted normal but in her eyes I could see she was brewing over something. We are all entitled to some degree of privacy and I knew that eventually she would tell me. I just had to trust her and wait

A couple of days later she seemed back to normal but, as the calendar ticked away the days till the end of our year she began to get more and more anxious. I have had my own fears about my near Strigoi strength I was worried that she was afraid of me too. Our first day here I planned on making love to her slowly and gently. I would be the tenderest lover to her.

When she told me she wanted to spar I was shocked. Her kiss was passionate and lustful. She was out the door before I could think to react. When I got to the gym a mat was already out so I changed as quickly as I could. My desire for Roza grew and compounded by the minute. By the time she came out I was so ready to fight her for dominance. When she won I was glad to let her be dominant. I was shocked at the ferocity in which she made love to me. I had always pictured having to hold back. When she had reached her climax I needed to show her that I could give as good as I got. I was a little surprised with myself Rose is the only woman I have ever had sex with. Even as a Strigoi I never wanted any other woman. This was only my second time even having sex and here I was behaving as if we had been doing this together for years.

Later that evening when we made love the way I had first intended to be, tender and slow; I realized how truly paired we were she is everything I want even before I knew what I want.

I made a call to Alberta. I asked her if she could get someone to set up a romantic dinner on the dock of the lake while I kept Roza away from the cottage for the rest of the day.

I made my way to The Dhampir dorms. Just before I climbed up to Roza's window I text her to tell her I was on my way. I knew she would be here, she is upset about not giving me another child yet and when she is upset he hides. This was her hideout number one when she was a student. I tapped on her window. The look on her face was so priceless. I am so glad that Lissa forced us to have a honeymoon. Even in this short week I have grown to know, love and appreciate Rose more than I could have thought possible.

* * *

**Time for a POP Quiz**

1. Do you think that the punishment the Jerks got was fitting or not? Why?

2. How will Chris react when he finds out what happened because of his big mouth.

3. Why do you think that Rose is not yet pregnant? How long do you think it will take for her to finally get pregnant?

4. What do you think about Dimitri's background with Ivan? Do you think that in the future he should make use of his medical knowledge?

5. What task do you think Adrian will have for Rose and Dimitri?


	53. Rescue Me

December 26, 2010 I hope everyone had a Marry Christmas. My sisters and I went to see my dad at the hospital and he was having a really, really good day. I pray for more like it. For those who wanted Rose and Dimitri to _"Enjoy their Honeymoon"_ I have added some more _Sweet Chocolate Mousse _for you.

More adventure and More chapters coming up but I promise I will eventually end this story.

I Do not own VA but that which is mine I share with you

* * *

**Chapter Fifty Three: Rescue Me**

**Rose POV**

As I admired the table and the candles that surrounded the dock I could see Dimitri watching my reaction.

"This is perfect, when did you plan this."

"I called a certain fairy Guardian on my way to climb up your window and rescue you from your tower, Rapunzel."

He stroked my long hair. He held my chair for me before seating himself. The plates were covered with silver domes matching the silverware perfectly; I had a feeling Lissa had a hand in purchasing the fine table wear. We uncovered our plates to find Chicken Piccata served over fettuccini with green vegetables on the side. There was a little cart on the side of the table with another covered plate, a bottle of wine on ice and a basket of bread.

Our dinner was scrumptious and the last domed plate contained a large slice of chocolate cake; which Dimitri and I took turns feeding to each other. I don't think I could have had a more romantic dinner than this one with the love of my life.

Our dinner wasn't all Google eyes and mushy talk. Dimitri told me that Adrian had another task for us. He was a little lost on what this was all about but we were supposed to ask the ghost of Sonya carp if she knew of any illegitimate children born to her family. We were to take any information we could get and pass it off to Tasha and her husband Aaron. Adrian promised to explain more to us in later. Regardless of the task related conversation I was in full on romance mode.

**~o~O~o~ Chocolate Mousse ~o~O~o~**

We had talked late into the night and the sun was already high in the sky. I stood and took Dimitri's hand; leading him to the edge of the dock. Pulling off my tee-shirt with a flirty smile and tossed it at Dimitri. I noticed him scan the aria before giving me a hungry smile. He tried to help me out of my jeans but I slapped his hands away. I took my jeans off seductively turning and bending as I pulled them off just so he could see my bum. When I turned around again Dimitri had was staring at me while pulling his own clothes off. Once we were both in just our underwear and I with my bra too, he tried to reach out for me but I moved away.

"Uh, uh, uh!" I wagged my finger at him. As fast as I could I removed my bra and underwear. Flashing him a mischievous smile I dived in swimming twenty yards from the dock before I let my head pop up. When I looked to the dock he wasn't there. Two seconds later he popped out of the water in front of me. I attacked him with kisses. Making love in the deep cool water of a lake was something I had only done in dream walks when Adrian was still alive. Not only did we lack privacy in our own little lake but I had been almost constantly pregnant and therefore afraid of the bacteria and algae in lake water. Since I am not pregnant yet and Dimitri and I have been given plenty of privacy I decided to go for it. I let Dimitri have complete control this time while I just held on to him. It was slow but intense at the same time. Oh God, the things that man does to me.

**~o~O~o~ End Chocolate Mousse End ~o~O~o~**

When we climbed back onto the dock, I grabbed our clothing while Dimitri grabbed his duster from the back of his chair. I don't know how he can wear that thing in the summer. He pulled the cabin key out then wrapped the duster over both of us. It must have been 2:00 pm but just in case someone was on patrol near the cabin he protected me form exposing myself.

After a quick shower together and going through nightly routines of brushing teeth we snuggled together under the thin blanket. It had been a perfect night. I think in the future he and I will have to take some time off every year and vacation alone together. I feel closer and if possible; more in love with Dimitri than ever before.

**~o~O~o~  
Dimitri POV**

**~o~O~o~ Chocolate Mousse ~o~O~o~**

I woke before Rose; her body was nestled against mine. We were like puzzle pieces, we fit together whether we were making love or snuggling together, and she is truly my other half. I nuzzled her hair taking in her scent. I felt her smile against my chest when she felt me breathe her in. I ran my hand along her side the side of her body; she gasped at my touch. I was rewarded with butterfly kisses on my chest. I wanted nothing more than to make love to her but unfortunately we had a task to do.

"Rose we have to go talk to Sonya Carp. Adrian said that Tasha and Aaron would be arriving here at 8 pm for her answers."

She lifted her head and looked at the clock, no doubt trying to see if we had enough time for a quickie. I hadn't looked at the clock but I could tell by the setting sun that it was close.

"Awww Comrade you should have woken me up sooner. I need you." She crooned as her hand slid around my neck. "I need you and I will take you now." She whispered on my lips as she pulled herself on to me.

The truth was I needed her too. My hands went to her hips, she moved over me with such a vigorous pace. In the distance I heard the sound of a private jet plane making its spiral over the school as it descended. The thrill of knowing we had between 15 -30 minutes before Alberta escorted them here must have turned Rose on because soon she was arching her back and moving even faster and harder. She leaned down over me and with one final thrust on me; she kissed me with a fierce passion that only my Roza has ever shown me. I felt her walls grip and convulse on me and I came with her. We only took a moment to catch our breath.

**~o~O~o~ End of Chocolate Mousse ~o~O~o~**

The day was still hot and we had forgotten to turn on the air conditioner last night so Rose was perspiring. I honestly hadn't worked as hard as she did so though I would have liked a shower I was not in need of one as badly and if we took one together we would have taken much longer.

"Roza jump in the shower and I will take care of our guests." I said to her as I kissed her one last time. She nodded and ran for the shower. I threw on a pair of Jeans and a green tee shirt. I was just slipping my feet into some dark green Van's when there was a knock on the door. I ran to answer; Alberta, Tasha and Aaron were there as expected.

"Dimka, how are you? Where is Rose?" Tasha hugged me while looking around for Rose. Tasha took a quick sniff at me and when she pulled away. There was a knowing smirk on her face. Damn sometimes she reminds me so much of Christian. I felt a blush creep up my face but tried to ignore it as I let them in. Alberta told me she had to rush off for her shift.

"Rose, will be joining us momentarily; we got a late start this morning." Tasha's lips twitched, thankfully unlike Christian; Tasha is able to keep her comments to herself. I offered them each some peach ice tea. I served one more, for my Roza and settled down on the rug while they took the couch.

I couldn't help but notice the loving glances they gave each other. I am very happy for them. Tasha is a good woman and she lost so much when her bother turned, there are lots of Ozera's but as for immediate family Christian and his parents were all she had left. Her personal life was tragically tuned after they attacked. I always knew I wasn't the one for her. I had felt bad that I did not love her enough to be with her. Seeing how she and Aaron's aura's shine so brightly with love makes me happy.

"Dimka are you enjoying your honeymoon? I heard that Rose was very surprised by Lissa's little gift."

I chuckled a little and nodded. "Yes she was but we are really having fun and getting to know each other. I was thinking it would be nice to take her other places that mean a lot to me and vice versa."

"I think that would be a lovely idea."

"So do, I." Roza said as she joined us in the living room. She was about to sit next to me but I pulled her down to my lap. She gave me a chased kiss on the cheek before turning to Tasha and Aaron.

"Aaron the kids told me you and Tasha took them horseback riding all the way to court. I really want to thank you both for helping Lissa and Christian take care of our kids." I looked over at Dimitri and kissed him quickly. He handed me my tea and snuggled me closer.

"It's no problem, Rose, Tasha and I love hanging out with them, and we both like kids a lot. I bet you miss them already."

"Yes we both do. I have never been away from them, not even one night before. Whenever I traveled in the past, I brought them with me. But Adrian brings us all together every couple nights in a dream walk."

"I bet you were upset when Lissa told you, you would be traveling without your kids." Tasha said with sympathy.

"Yeah I was really upset but what could I say, she is my Ace, and she is the Queen. The only way I could vent my frustration was to change my ring tone." At this Tasha and Aaron both broke out in laughter. "Let me guess; Sparky, told you didn't he?" Both were still laughing so hard that they could only nod and wipe their eyes.

We chatted for a short while more before walking out to the gate. At some point in the day Rose and I always take a walk to the gate so we can go past the wards. Vacation or not; Rose, still checks in with Sonya to find out what the Strigoi are up to. Though it has become common knowledge with the guardians at court, and with the family; Rose doesn't like to talk to ghosts in front of just anyone. Our children, Lissa, Christian, Eddie and I are the only ones she is really comfortable with. Tasha and Aaron waited with Guardian Evens at the gate. Rose and I walked about twenty yards away.

As soon as we crossed the wards I saw Sonya waiting impatiently. Normally Rose calls her and she appears.

"Sonya?"

"Hello Rose. There is an attack planned on a Moroi family hiding among humans in Garden Grove, California. They have a large number of guardians living in homes surrounding theirs. Rose I believe they may be Dragomirs who went into hiding when it became clear that the family was slowly being exterminated. The ghosts have informed me that there are multiple generations and some have Human and young Dhampirs." I already had my phone out dialing the Guardian Counsel I handed Rose the phone so that she could give them the details.

Once she hung up with the counsel she called Lissa though the bond. I could tell through her aura that she allowed Lissa to be sucked into her head. Lissa was using Rose as conduit so she could speak to Sonya herself. It was hard for me to understand when I only heard half the conversation. Next to Rose Adrian appeared watching her intently. When she was done she pulled my arm over to where Guardian Post waited with Tasha. She motioned them to follow us as we ran to the Cottage. Though Tasha is in very good shape for a Moroi she still can't run as fast as us so as a result Rose was able to explain to them that there was a change in our plans.

"Sonya told me about a Moroi family that is in hiding in California. They might be Dragomirs and the Strigoi are planning on attacking them. We are going to try to get to the family before the Strigoi do. Once we have them we are to take them to Lissa's family home in Anaheim Hills. Lissa is going to come and meet them there.

Tasha could you please see what is left of breakfast in the kitchen and Aaron please make sure that the plane is ready and confer with the guardian counsel about the flight plan. I am going to pack us some overnight bags and you go take a shower I am not sure when your next chance will be."

As soon as we got to the Cottage We split up agreeing to meet in half an hour at the air field. I took the fastest shower of my life. When I came out Rose had two bags packed and was in her a Guardian Uniform. She had mine out and ready for me. It was smart thinking on her part. We will have more credibility with this family if we look like guardians.

We got to the plane with ten minutes to spare. Alberta was waiting for us and the plain was already warmed up. She handed Rose a box with extra stakes and communication devices. She hugged us and bid us a safe journey and rescue. Tasha and Aaron were already aboard so as soon as were in Alberta closed the hatch. The Pilot locked it from the inside and we were off. Once we were in the air Tasha gave us some trays with food. Rose looked too nervous to eat but she ate anyway, knowing it might be a long time before she got a meal and she would need her strength.

I was glad that I have learned to put up inner walls against the ghosts. I could feel them but they were easily ignored. Tasha and Aaron seemed to be content to talk privately while Rose and I ate in silence. Rose kept looking over at me with concern. When we finished eating Tasha offered to take our trays to the galley but Rose declined the offer.

"Thank you Tasha, but we can do it besides I really need to have a private word with Dimitri." She gave me a pointed look so I obediently followed her with my tray to the galley. She closed the curtain giving us a little privacy. I don't know what is up but I have a feeling I am about to get scolded.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I placed my tray and its contents in the cupboard marked Used.

"You haven't fed in days and you are not at full strength. Don't think I haven't noticed the change in your feeding habits. We don't have time to discuss it right now but trust me we will."

The sternness left her face. She cupped mine in her hands and pulled me into a kiss. I melted into her. I could feel her begin to wrap me in the love she wields. She pulled away slightly and tilted her head to the side. I kissed her neck softly reveling in the texture of her skin and the scent of her blood flowing just below the surface. Sinking my fangs in I could feel them puncture her jugular. Like orchestral music swelling in the apex of a song the love she wields wrapped around and thought us. The energy that has always accompanied our every touch hummed on my lips and hands as I held her. I needed to feed a little longer than I used to because, I was taking blood every day then, but it has been three days and honestly I could feel that I really was in need of blood.

When I was done I held her for quite some time. Placing my hand on her neck I healed the bite and bruise. When I was done there was just a little pink left to the skin as well as a little remaining blood. I pulled some paper towel from the dispenser and wet it will cool water from the sink I then leaned her neck and gave it one more, gentle kiss.

"I love you" she whispered before we went back to our seats. Chris has said that when Rose and I make love in our special way that those in close proximity (Like the bedroom just below ours) can feel it and are spurred to passion. I am embarrassed but I believe he is right. Tasha and Aaron were in quite a compromising position when we walked in. Thankfully they were still clothed. Rose gave a cough and we both averted our eyes. I heard shuffling as Tasha got off of Aaron and back to her own seat. We sat down a few moments later.

Rose settled into her seat and closed her eyes. I know she is tired after I fed. I know I should be feeding more often but well the thing is….I, get turned on by it. When that was our only way to make love I rationalized it. When we started to fool around with each other; pleasuring each other in 'other' ways, I noticed that we always wanted to feed after. Sexual pleasure has become associated with our special feedings in my mind, and I am deeply bothered by that. I tried to put it out of my mind for now. I snuggled closer to Rose and covered her with my duster. She took a deep breath in and smiled. I closed my eyes and fell asleep next to her. I had forgotten how late we had been up last night.

**~o~O~o~**  
**Rose POV**

I woke up and looked at my watch. I looked around and found Dimitri cuddled against me; Tasha and Aaron were snuggled all napping. I knew we must be getting close to the airport and I wanted everyone to be alert so I figured that even if I really didn't want to disturb them I needed to wake them up. Instead of speaking out loud I used my mind to gently wake them. Both Tasha and Aaron are part of my pack so they are used to hearing me in their heads.

They woke just in time to hear our pilot announce that it was time to put our seat belts on. Aaron informed us that we would be landing in the city of Corona where we would be catching a helicopter to UCI medical center. The alchemists have rented us several SUVs for us and will have them waiting.

"Why are we landing at a hospital?" Dimitri asked though from the looks of Tasha, she was just as curious.

"Disneyland may be just down the street from there, but the cities around here are not big metropolises like LA, and New York, where the Hotels have helipads on the roof. UCI is just about 3 miles down the Road from where we need to go so it makes sense that they chose it."

"I didn't know you knew so much about the area Rose?"

"Well Tasha I spent a few summers here with Lissa and her family and also when we had run away we spent six months in her family home in Anaheim Hills. We had met some kids who lived in Garden Grove so we ended up spending a lot of time with them. I became very familiar with the cities of Orange, Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Huntington Beach. It was too sunny here for Lissa after winter was over but I loved it. Ironically I recognize the name of the street we are going to. Our friends taught us how to drive and we drove though their neighborhood and the surrounding ones countless times. We will be going just a few blocks from where they used to live."

"One of these days Rose you are going to have to tell me all the places you hid, and how you did it. According to the file I got when I took over the search the guardians went looking at all the properties and they never found even a hint that you had been in any of them."

"Dimitri, do you honestly think I didn't cover our tracks. Besides I love Stan but he is way too predictable. When I found out he was the one looking for us it was easy to figure out his patterns. Lissa's family owns six homes and he came by once every three weeks so he must have come by two houses a week every weekend."

"How on earth did you figure out he was the one looking?"

"I saw him a few times, and also I had Mrs. Porter, the nosey neighbor, keep a look out for him. Once I figured out his schedule I made sure we stayed with someone for a few days."

"How did you meet these friends?"

"We worked with them at The Block, a mall just on the border between Garden Grove and Orange. In fact it is practically across from UCI."

The plane landed ending our conversation. I felt my anticipation building as the Helicopter brought us closer to UCI. I have been trying not to think about Isabela and Arianna and how their family was attacked; leaving them orphaned. Once we were on the ground and into the cars I could ask Sonya what was going on with the family. It's almost 12 am and according to what she had told me the Strigoi planed on attacking at 3 am. I have less than 3 hours to convince the family to come with me and take them to safety or the 4 of us will be fighting ten Strigoi. I decided to check with Lissa through the bond.

"_Liss, how are you holding up?"_

"_Oh Rose what's going on have you gotten there yet? Are they safe?"_

"_I haven't gotten to check with Sonya again yet but I think they are safe or she would have come to me. I can see the Helipad now so we should be landing in a min." _

"_Rose I called in Guardians from several families in the area to help cover you. They are waiting in the mall parking lot by the Vans skate park. I didn't want them to go in without you because I figured it might spook the families."_

"_Thanks Liss I gotta go. See you at your place around dawn."_

The alchemist met us at the helipad and showed us to our cars. As soon as he could he left. It always surprises me how frightened they are of us. I tossed each person a key and told them to follow me. I led them first to the place where we are to meet the guardians. There were seven guardians waiting for me. Between us and the added guardians I had eleven people all together.

"Ok does everyone have a functional radio with an earpiece?" They all nodded; some had them in their ears and some pulled them out to put them in. "Good turn them to channel 75. 123 test….. 123 test….. 123 test." I said until I got thumbs up from everyone. "Ok, I wish I had time to get to know you but we are under the gun here. I assume you all know where West Haven park, is?" I got several nods form the guardians. "Good, those of you who know the way will drive the others. Wait for 20 minutes. One at a time I want you to drive into the neighborhood and position yourself near the house. Keep your ears and eyes open. If all goes well you won't have to get involved at all."

We jumped into the cars and SUVs. I would have liked to have Dimitri at my side but I needed him to drive one of the SUVs. From Sonya's surveillance of the family there are about twenty people in all; seven Moroi, four Guardians, five Dhampir children and four Humans. I was not sure if the humans were Feeders or spouses but I expected a mix of both. It would take at least the 4 SUVs to take them to safety if they didn't bring more than a change of clothes with them.

I thought about my time living here. Tom and Tammy Anderson were a godsend to us. Their mom was the kind of lady that accepted her kid's friends as if they were an addition to her family. She let Kevin, her oldest son; teach us to drive with her car. She had taught us the basics of cooking. I drove down Chapman Ave and turned onto West Street as if I had lived here all my life. Through the ear piece I made sure to inform the drivers behind me of my every move. Comstalk could be a hard street to find especially in the dark but to me it was like coming home. A right on to Pratt then another onto Roxbury and the three houses on the Cul-de-sac were the ones I was looking for. I parked a little farther down Dimitri followed and parked behind me. Tasha and Aaron both parked on Pratt.

Dimitri exited his car and I mine and together we approached the middle house. From the shadows two tall Damper men emerged. They were serious and defensive. They saw the pins that Dimitri and I wore showing us to be Royal Guardians. Their posture may have changed to one of respect but their faces still held a trace of suspicion behind their masks.

"How may we help you, Guardians?" The one on the right spoke addressing Dimitri. Since I am the 'senior officer' I was the one to reply.

"We have information that you are in grave danger. We must speak with the whole family it is of the most urgent nature."

"Our family runs on a Human schedule. You will have to return tomorrow."

"That won't do, by tomorrow you will all be dead or worse. A Bruia is coming tonight."

"Do you have backup?" I gave him one nod as a reply. "Then call them in. George will not be easy to convince."

I called the Post's and the other guardians in. As the convoy drove in and parked both guardians eyes grew wide. They left us to guard outside as they went into the two side houses to gather the residence. Lights went on and off but and I could see the living room light in the middle house go on but I never saw anyone come out or into any of the homes.

Meanwhile I stationed the guardians in a tight parameter around the house. The door of the center house opened and we were beckoned in.

"What is the meaning of this?" A tall blond Moroi asked me. He had the most intense Jade eyes I have seen in a long time. His wife stood by his side she was also blond with hazel eyes. I would not be surprised to learn she also had a lot of Dragomir on her side of the family.

I looked around the room. It was easy to tell that the younger Dhampirs were also Dragomirs. One of them, a teenage girl, was furiously typing away on a laptop. Though I was weary of what she might be doing I knew I was in no position to stop her.

"The meaning of this is that your family is in danger. A band of ten Strigoi, have found you and they are planning to attack you tonight. We have to hurry and get you to a safe house."

"Nonsense, we have lived here in safety for nearly 20 years. If we have been targeted it is because you have brought attention to us."

"You were brought to our attention because you are in danger."

"We will stay and take our chances, our lives are here and this is where we will stay.

"I am here on Order of Queen Vasilisa Dragomir to get you to safety."

"Now I know you are lying. I heard though the grapevine that they last Dragomir family perished. That family line is dead."

"Her parents and brother did parish, but she and I both survived. Since then we have found two young survivors from a similar attack to what may happen to your family."

"I have had enough of your lies. My children and I have work in the morning and my grandchildren have activities. So please go so that we may get some rest."

"George I know that you are a Dragomir. Your guardian wears a chotki that is like this one." I held out my wrist."

"Once upon a time I was, but now I am a Davis and so is the rest of my family."

"Grandpa? I think we should Listen to her. She is telling the truth about the Queen." The young Dhampir who had been on her laptop stood just a few feet away, laptop in hand.

The girl held out the laptop for us to see. I was shocked; somehow she had found the Royal Court homepage. She scrolled through showing him a picture of Lissa being Crowned Queen. I was the one placing it on her head. There was a picture of the Royal family with Arianna and Isabella listed as the adopted daughters of Queen Vasilisa and King Christian Dragomir."

"Lord Dragomir, The Queen wishes me to bring her family home safely."

"Before I even begin to believe you I want to know how you learned of this attack."

"The story I would have to tell you is fantastic and you would never believe it."

"Then we stay and you go back to court." I looked at my watch it was already 1:45. I took a deep breath.

"My name is Rosemarie Hathaway- Belikov-Ivashkov. I am the Head of the Royal Guard. I have been friends with Vasilisa since the age of four. When we were fifteen we were in an accident with her family she was the only survivor. We didn't know that she was a spirit wielder like St Vladimir himself but she brought me back to life like Vladimir had brought Anna back. Like Vladimir and Anna, Lissa and I have a bond. I am what you called shadow kissed and well more but it is a little irrelevant right now; except that I can communicate with ghosts. There is one ghost who keeps me abreast of Strigoi activity. She is the one who told me about the Attack."

George and several others began to laugh. Beside me Dimitri stiffened. I put a calming hand on him.

"Get out!" George bellowed once he was done laughing. "I will not listen to this foolishness anymore."

"Do not talk to my wife that way." Dimitri's voice was calm but dangerous.

"George, I am the one who won't listen to anymore foolishness. This young woman may have a wild story but if you look at her eyes you will see she is being nothing but honest with us." She turned to her family. "Everyone go gather only what you absolutely need." Turning back to her husband, "You can stay if you want but we are going with or without you." The family dispersed leaving though the back door and up the stairs.

"This Dampher girl is full of malarkey; she even uses a Royal name. Evelyn you can't be serious. You are going to leave just because of what some crazy girl says?"

"Yes, she is being truthful to you but you are so scared to leave and rejoin our people that you refuse to even consider the evidence Gina found."

"Half of our grand kids are Dhampirs. Our sun has a human wife. You cannot tell me that it will be for the best for our family to go live at court."

"I am tired of hiding and worrying every day." His face softened and he took her into his arms.

"If I may say so; things at court are not as difficult for Dhampirs as they once were. My Rosa and her sister Lissa have had a lot to do with those changes."

"How so?"

"I wish I could take the time to tell you all the wonderful things My Roza has done with her family at her side but we don't have the time. It is already 2:20. Go get your things we need to leave in ten minutes."

George and Evelyn nodded and ran to their room. Before the ten minutes were up I heard scuffling outside. Oh this was not good. The houses are too close together and a neighbor might call the police. Three Strigoi jumped through the window. Two attacked Dimitri I know he wants to save them but if he uses spirit to stake them without having the benefit of our pack to boost his own ability he will be two drained. The same goes for me if I try to wield more than once. It was sad but we will have to do this the traditional way.

The Stigoi I had was new and must have been human before. With hardly any challenge at all I had him staked and dead. The two Strigoi attacking Dimitri, were better. One was obviously a guardian and a deadly one at that and the other was a Moroi but I suspect that she like Tasha had trained in combat before she was turned. There was something else about her. She was maybe about forty and she had platinum blond hair and the purest Jade eyes ringed in red. The shape of her lips was like Lissa as was the shape of her eyes and nose. I had seen her picture up in one of Lissa's family homes. She was just about to jump on Dimitri so I did the one thing no one expected.

"Vaysa Stop" She turned to me with that cold look that Strigoi have. Dimitri used the distraction to stake the other Strigoi.

"How do you know me?"

"I know your Granddaughter, Your namesake Vasilisa Dragomir."

"So you must be Rosemarie, the Huntress we have all heard do much about. It is nice to meet you and it will be even nicer to kill you." She instantly lunged at me but I closed my eyes and let my instincts take over. We sparred only for a minute. When I felt the moment was right, though I just needed to touch her torso my hand was just over her heart. I felt the essence of fire water and earth along with spirit from two sources, joining in with life and death.

"The God who created this body and soul reclaims his child and grants him forgiveness for the sins of the demon. You may accept this forgiveness and chose to return to your body or accept your everlasting rest as a child of your Creator." I opened my eyes and saw her begin to fall to the ground. Dimitri caught her and carried her to the couch. The demon was pulled from her body and into the ground. Her ghost appeared before me.

"Thank you Rosemarie. I wish I could stay and rejoin my family but I have been turned too long. Please let my little Lissy know that I love her and I am so proud of her accomplishments and yours. Please let her know that I am making a vow to help find and protect the other members of our family who are in hiding."

The pearly image of two more ghosts appeared. Angelina ran up to the older woman and took her hand.

"Great Grandmamma, it's time to go home now." She beamed a sweet smile at her Great-grandmother.

"Mom" Eric Dragomir held out his hand. When she took hold of his hand the three of them disappeared hand in hand.

"_Oh Rose thank you!"_ I heard the tearful voice of Lissa in my head. She must have been pulled in to my head for change.

"_You are welcome Lissa, see you in a bit."_

"_We had to make a stop but we will be at the house after sunrise. Please get them settled in the house and let them know that I will see them soon."_

"_I should be there when you land."_

"_NO take care of the family for me, sister."_

"_OK." _I felt her pull out of my head. Dimitri and the guardians were pulling the Strigoi bodies out of the front yards and into the back of the main house.

The family was all unharmed but a few of the volunteer Guardians had some broken bones. They were shocked when Dimitri used spirit to heal them but he promised that he would explain everything to them in a couple of days over beer and Pizza. The nervous alchemist came back to dispose of the bodies. Before I could stop him he poured a drop of potion over Vaysa's body.

"This one is a victim please have it properly handled till it can be picked up by the Moroi authorities."

"Yes Guardian Hathaway." He went about his work silently.

It was 5:00 am before we finally got the family on the road. Morning traffic was still a couple hours away so even taking the surface streets it only took us half an hour to get up to the hills. Lissa's house was in a beautiful gated community. The code for the gate was still the same and surprisingly so was the guard at the gate. I remembered his name and told him that he should expect Lissa and more guests to arrive shortly.

Now that Lissa is Queen she has all six of her properties being cared for by a grounds keeper. He had left a note for me telling me the key was in the old hiding spot and that he stalked the kitchen with food. The house itself was a few rooms smaller than mine though the rest of the property consisted of just front and back yard with a pool. I showed everyone to a room; doubling up with the children where I could. George and Evelyn were the last to be given a room

"Guardian Hathaway- Belikov-Ivashkov….I want to know how did you do that? I saw you kill that Strigoi with no weapon and before she died I saw the rings leave her eyes and the color return to her skin. How did you do that?"

"George, it is a long story one that I am sure your cousin will be very happy to explain to you but long story short I am more than a shadow kissed Dhampir. I am the first of a special kind of Dhampir who has the ability to change a Strigoi back into its original form. When I do they may choose to live or die. She chose to die. Oh and just so you know professionally; I am Guardian Hathaway but personally I am known as Lady Belikov Ivashkov. I am the Widow of Lord Adrian Ivashkov and I am married to his half brother Dimitri Belikov. By Adrian's wishes Dimitri and I as well as our children use the titles and the hyphenated last name. I am sure Lissa, or any of our family, can explain the story."

"Good night Lady Belikov Ivashkov. I look forward to getting to know you and all about you. Thank you so much for saving my family." Before I knew it Dimitri and I were both getting hugged. I think I am going to like the newest members of my family.

I left a note for Lissa letting her know what room we were in and which were still available. Then with a quick shower with Dimitri we dressed just in case we might be needed in the middle of our rest and got into bed. Exhaustion took over and all we could do is spoon. It has been a long stressful day but in the end I am exactly where I want to be, in the arms of the Husband of My Heart.

* * *

FYI The places and Cities I mentioned in this Chapter are Real. I do not live on the Cul-de-sac but I do live in the neighborhood mentioned. I thought it would be fun to write about some place I know.

**POP Quiz**

1. What is up with Dimitri and His sudden issues with feedings?

2. Aaron Post and Tasha are married now. Do you think that they might have kids together?

3. Why do you think George was such a jerk to Rose at first?

4. It wasn't all stated in the story but three of the guardians are married to the Human feeders of the family in hiding. One of the Dragomir sons is married to a Human and has Dhampir children with her. How do you think people at court will treat them? How will Lissa feel about it?

5. What part in the next few chapters will the newly found Dragomir's have?

6. Will Rose get to go back to her honeymoon or is the honeymoon over?

**PS I think My work would be so much better if I had a Beta Reader. If you are interested in Beta-ing for me; please let me know.**

**Suzanna**


	54. Love, Life and Family

December 31, 2010

Well guys the year has ended and I have to say I am glad. I hope that next year is much better all around. I thank whoever created this website because it has been a blessing to me this year. I have found an outlet for my imagination, a way to distress when my life has been in turmoil. I have made some friends. My writing has improved greatly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU MAY YOU BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY THIS YEAR!

I do not own VA but I gladly share what I have created with you.

**Chapter 54: Love, Family and Life.**

**Rose POV**

I had been hoping to dream walk with our little angels but Adrian didn't bring them to me and Dimitri and neither of us are powerful enough to bring them all two us. Instead I was brought into a dream with my predecessor. Bridget Donnelly sat waiting for me on her stone bench. She reached out her hand to me.

"Granddaughter once again you have made me proud. The soul you restored has asked permission to aid her family. I know that you have suspected that many other Dragomir families had gone into hiding for fear of being hunted down. It turns out that your suspicion was correct."

Before I could respond with my own questions several spirits appeared before us. Lissa's Parents and brother, her daughter Angelina, and the parents of Arianna and Isabel and their sister Ediena stood behind their family Matriarch, Vasilisa Dragomir.

I took in the features of Lissa's grandmother. I could see so much of Lissa and her father in her. If not for Christians eye color and shape along with his nose Angelina would almost be a replica of her. Lissa's Father had slightly darker hair but he also shared most of her features too.

She stepped closer to me and knelt before me. I didn't know what to do so I put a hand on her shoulder. She wept with her head in my lap; instinctually I wielded my love to her. With her tears drying up she lifted her head to me.

"The Strigoi that possessed me wanted the Dragomir blood. I began searching for those who had gone into hiding. This was the first family I attacked but I know the location for seven more though they are not as large I am sure it would bring my granddaughter happiness to see them brought back to her. I have already given the information I have to your spirit husband. I wanted to tell you that I thank you from the bottom of my heart and that I will continue to search for others of my line." She stood and kissed me on both cheeks. "I may never have met you but I am glad to call you my granddaughter too." She returned to her family and as a group they disappeared.

"Bridget is it my mission to find the missing Dragomirs?"

"No, this will be part of the Queen's mission; to put her family back together. Vasilisa just wanted to thank you again for freeing her and show you that even though she didn't feel she could return to life, she was going to make something good come of her non life." She smiled at me and her maternal love could be felt around us. "I do need to talk to you about Emma."+

"I am glad you brought her up. I believe she has found her other half."

"Indeed she has. Poor dear is quite young; yet, she is older than I was. It will be time very soon for her to join her heart with his."

"Bridget, she is only just 16. She is quite mature for her age but she is still too young to take on marriage and all that comes with it." Bridget gave me a sad smile.

"It will happen regardless of whether or not anyone thinks their relationship or age is appropriate. It would be better for them if they had the understanding and backing of their family."

"Dimitri is not going to be happy about this. To him she is his little girl. The boy is his younger brother. I don't think he is ready to give his little girl to his little brother."

"All the more reason for them to be prepared. Their souls yearn to unite and as you know the desire for the bodies to unite becomes even stronger. But if they know and understand what is happening to them they can make informed decisions. They will not be able to hold off for long but it will bide them some time before the wee babes form in her belly."

My head began to swim. My poor Emma, my biggest wish for her was that she could get to have her youth. I don't regret my life but sometimes I wish I had not had to grow up so young.

"If I send her away to school will that bide her more time?"

"It would; but her heart would be in turmoil without him and her bondmate. Remember your time in Russia when you were searching for your husband of your heart. You yourself had left your bondmate; but without her you felt as if you had torn away a part of your heart. Could you impose that kind of pain on her?"

"No, I can't. I chose to leave Lissa to search for Dimitri but I can't take away the love of her life and her bondmate from her, to do so would defeat the purpose. I want her to look back on her youth with Joy."

"She will, because she has a family who loves her. She finally knows what it is to be loved and cared for by a mother and a father."

"How long do I have? Have they acknowledged their feelings for one another?"

"Benjamin is an honorable man and he is fighting this even harder than she. She is fighting because she wants to be a wielder. They have not yet uttered their love out loud to anyone not even each other. Even still it is not long coming. She suspects that he may be the other half of her heart."

"His father took him to see Europe for a vacation. He is due back two days after we Dimitri and I are. He trains with my pack that Saturday."

"Rosemarie the fates are setting to get them united within a fortnight of his return."

"You said that if they have the information and support they need, they will be able to wait a little longer before becoming one, physically."

"If you had been free to hold Dimitri's hand, kiss him and acknowledge him as yours you would not have been ready to explode like the fires of the dried grasses. Yet then again fate knew that you only had a short time to become bound and it threw all it had into bringing you together." She paused thoughtfully. For a moment she looked far off into the distance she took a deep and almost sad breath before looking into my eyes.

"Yea, I say tell them the truth and support them in whatever discussion they make. For we do not know what future, fate has in store for them. When you tell them they should be together. Perhaps it is best not to tell Dimitri right now."

As usual Bridget said a benediction over me before sending me back to my dreams. It is during her benediction that I felt the tingle of a new hunters mark on my neck. I knew that when I woke Lissa, Dimitri, Christian, and Mia would have theirs too. I don't know how but whatever members of my pack are connected to me at the time of a transformation receive their mark when I do mine.

When I woke I was in bed snuggled against Dimitri. I snuggled closer to Dimitri and only just fell back to sleep when I was awoken by the sound of children in the hall. My heart began to pound with happiness and I heard Dimitri's, do the same but neither of us moved a muscle. The double doors of our room flew open and ten children came rushing in and jumped on the bed. They all called to us at once some yelling "Mommy, Daddy" others saying "Auntie Rose, Uncle Dimitri." We sat up and were tackled with hugs form all sides. My children, Lissa's and Mia's were all bouncing around us. God, how I had missed the kids. Lissa and Christian were laughing at the doorway. After a few rounds of hugs and kisses Lissa ushered the kids out so we could get changed.

**~o~O~o~**

It was late morning Human time. Thankfully Guardians are trained to adjust to flipping from night to day schedules and back. Though still very tired Dimitri and I were able to function on the few hours of sleep we have had over the last couple days. Lissa had brought most of the family with her to California. There were a couple other mansions in area that were for sale. I don't know how Lissa did it but she negotiated with the owner of the one nearest her home; to rent it to her (for nearly half his asking price.) It was decided that Dimitri, our children and I would stay here with the (Davis) family and she would stay in the rented home down the street with Mia, Eddie and their daughter Liliana.

Dimitri, Christian, Mia and I walked around the parameter of the two homes as well as the three homes that separated them. We laid down wards of protection. I wish I had my whole pack with me so we could have all of our elements. Dad was with mom and Sasha has her patients to take care of. so my earth and air were at home.

Lissa had a full complement of Court guardians since she was traveling. Eddie was the only member of her personal guard on duty since Mom was much to pregnant for Lissa or Abe to allow her to travel. I wanted to be back on duty but Lissa tried to insist I was still on vacation. Fortunately as head of the Queens guard, (personal and court) I have a little leeway to insist if I fear for her safety. In this case I must say I do fear because Sonya had told me there were several Strigoi in the area. So I insisted and Dimitri backed me up.

The first day she requested to have tea with George and Evelyn. As her personal guard Eddie and I stood along the walls. Having been away from court and Moroi society I could see how nervous they were when they walked into the sitting room. They bowed to Lissa and Christian. Lissa immediately said.

"Rise cousins and join us for tea."

They rose and sat in the seats Lissa indicated. Poor Christian hated this part of being King but he understood the need to follow proper etiquette. Tatiana would have had her guardians serve the tea and but Lissa is a bit more personal than that. She herself poured the tea and Christian offered scones. (That he made by the way.)

"My sister, Rose, tells me that you are weary about coming to court?" Lissa gestured to me as she spoke. This perked Evelyn's interest.

"We are your Highness. Our family would not be accepted and I am afraid we would only be a disgrace to you." George spoke frankly.

"Please call me Lissa, my husband is named Chris. What would make you think I would be ashamed of you?"

"When we left Moroi Society, our children were young and our only thought had been to hide from those who would hunt us. We didn't think about who our children would marry. As the years went by we have had to face the fact that they might not be lucky enough to marry within our own species. Our eldest daughter Eve was lucky to find a suitable Moroi who didn't mind going into hiding with us. She is now married to him and they have one child. Our other daughter and son were not so lucky. Erica is married to an un-promised Dhampir and they have two children. John fell in love with a feeder, they have three children. Most of our grandchildren are Dhampirs. Royal families never acknowledge their Dhampir offspring. I am sorry but there is no way we could turn our backs on our children and grandchildren."

Lissa smiled warmly at them. She turned to me.

"Rose, Eddie please come away from the wall and join us." Eddie and I sat down on the loveseat. Chris left but returned with a tray holding more settings for tea. He made mine exactly as I like it and handed it to me. He then served Eddie.

"I want you both to know I would never ask you to renounce any of your family. I lost my parents and brother in a car crash eight years ago. I was lucky to be able to save Rose. She has been like my best friend since we were four years old. Since the death of my family she has become more than a friend and bondmate. She is my sister in every way that matters to me. Through her I have gained a whole new family some Moroi, most Dhampir."

"Just because you accept them as family does not mean that the rest of court does."

"There are many who are still prejudges but times are changing." She turned to us. "Eddie, please tell them about your wife."

"My wife is Mia Rinaldi she is a non royal Moroi we were married two and a half years ago and we have a beautiful little girl named Liliana."

"Rose could you tell them about your parents?" I smiled at her thankful that she didn't ask about my story. After all I am not sure if they can handle a story about a girl married to two brothers; at the same time!

"My mother is Guardian Janine Hathaway and my father is Ibrahim Mazur. When they were young they were prevented from marrying. A few years ago they rekindled their relationship and were married in a small ceremony three months ago. My mother is in her sixth month of pregnancy with my little sister, Annabelle."

Evelyn looked at me curiously.

"You have a royal title yet last night the guardian with you called you his wife. Why?" Oh well here goes nothing.

"It is a very confusing tale to tell so I won't get into detail but I was married to Lord Adrian Ivashkov, grandson of the former Queen. I am also married to Dimitri Belikov her other grandson. Upon his death Adrian asked that all our children, Dimitri and I be addressed as Lord or Lady Belikov Ivashkov. When I am working as a Guardian or an instructor at the Court Academy I go by Guardian Hathaway."

When I finished she looked like she wanted to ask me more questions but thankfully Christian came to my rescue.

"My own aunt Lady Natasha Ozera Post is married to a guardian and now adds his last name to her title. She has adopted two non royal Moroi. She and Aaron have been trying for some time to have a child of their own. There is also another notable mixed family. Another of the former queen's grandchildren is married to a guardian and they have four children. She even refers to Rose as Cousin."

"You have given us much to consider, Lissa. George and I will think about your offer. It would be nice for the grandkids to go to school with others of their own kind."

Lissa and I exchanged a look. Though we had loved the freedom we had when we were on our own, it was difficult hiding what we were. Lissa's pale skin and aversion to too much sun made her stick out like a sore thumb and she had to be ever vigilant about hiding her fangs. Dhampirs may blend well with humans but we are not the same. I had to be careful when horsing around with human classmates and friends for fear of hurting them. In a lot of ways it was very lonely for us to only have each other.

Over The next few days our two groups spent a lot of time together. Evelyn is a very sweet grandmother and she took on a grandmotherly role towards all our kids. It wasn't lost on her that most of the people in Lissa's entourage were part of a mixed family. George seemed to relax and enjoy being around other Moroi and Dhampirs. Gina the eldest of their grandkids was 15 Emma and her got along instantly.

Lissa insisted that us girls have a shopping day. Evelyn and Tasha seamed to click well Lissa took a liking to Eve, Erica and Kora, Kora is John's wife. Jasmine and Jessica were friendly but shy so they mostly stayed near Tasha or Emma. Emma and Gina stuck together. Emma insisted on using this as a training exercise so she was near guard with me. Gina has never had any guardian training but wanted to observe us. Dimitri Eddie and a few of the court guardians were far guard.

While we were out shopping Evelyn tried to ask me about my unique family. She had picked up on a few things over the past three days that perplexed her. (Like the fact that my kids all have fangs and Theresa is obviously Dimitri's and my child.) If they are going to live at court she is going to hear a lot of things about me and my family; some things are true and some are false. I really hate talking about my personal business but I want her to know the truth. I explained to her that I really didn't want to talk about it but I gave her permission to ask Tasha and I gave Tasha permission to tell what she knows.

I was proud of Emma she did a great job as a near Guard. She was alert and aware of her surroundings; she kept tabs on the locations of all the Moroi and all the other Guardians as well. Yet she blended in well with the other girls without bringing attention to the fact that she was guarding. I could feel the pride flow off of Dimitri. Usually he would hide all emotions behind his Guardian mask but every once in a while I saw Dimitri shoot her a proud smile.

I wanted to do some shopping but with Lissa around I was not going to put down my guard. I did pick out some random shorts and shirts that were in a size that looked like mine. The truth is I don't know my size. Lilly has made my clothes for years now and I haven't bought clothes off the rack since before I had Essa. Emma followed suit and chose a sundress but she made no move to try it on. When I paid for the clothes she stepped up her guard while I made our transaction.

We left South Coast Plaza an hour before sunset. I half expected Christian, George, John, and the guardians we left to be duct taped to chairs with all the little one running around them. To my surprise they had most of the older kids occupied with video games, younger ones watching the princess bride while they were trying to feed Jaden and Oliver.

"Guess I won the bet." Dimitri gave me a sexy but smug look. I sent him a silent message with my eyes telling him that I fully intended to pay up tonight. In fact if I got may way we would both end up very well paid. He surprised me by taking me into his arms and kissing me hungrily.

"I see the honeymoon is not over yet." Christian called out. Dimitri pulled away blushing. But he shocked me by saying

"The Honeymoon will never be over with Rose by my side." He smiled at me again and gave me a chase kiss before letting me go.

_**I am looking for someone who is willing to be my beta reader for this and my other stories as well. I am looking for someone over 18 since my other stories are M rated and this one has gone M on me. Please contact me if you are interested.**_

_**Suzanna**_


	55. Girl you're Amazing!

I have a Beta Reader! Lilysmum has looked over this chapter and fixed my mistakes for me. I would like to also thank DarkSunshine24 for offering to Beta.

My father has surgery to amputate more of his foot but his spirits are good and We are VERY hopeful that this is going to be the start of his improvment in health. Thank you to all who have prayed for him, please keep praying.

Five more days till my 39th. Birthday. Damn I wish I was in Rose's pack. Anyway I may wish I owned VA but well ya know... but what is of my own cration I share with you.

* * *

**Chapter 55: Girl You're Amazing!**

**Rose POV**

Lissa spent a few hours the next day talking privately with Evelyn and George. I could feel her blocking me but I figured it was none of my business. After three days of spending time with Lissa and the rest of us George told Lissa that he would be happy to move the family to court. He understood that not everyone would welcome his motley family but he felt that with the backing of the Queen and her motley family they would be fine. He told her that he didn't want the title of Prince since he would be taking the title away from Princess Arianna but if she wanted he would take his place on the counsel to help her achieve her political goals.

Each member of the newly found Dragomir family quit their jobs claiming a family emergency that resulted in a move. The kids called the few friends they had and said goodbye. The last night that we stayed here Lissa held a big dinner for everyone. She invited the Guardians who helped me the night of the attack and the families they protect. She held the dinner in a small banquet hall in the Disneyland Hotel.

Before dinner every guardian who made a kill received their Molnija marks. This was the first Molnija mark Dimitri had earned since the restoration of his soul. I looked on with pride and sorrow as he received his mark. I am proud that he is still the Russian God that Mason once called him but I am sad for the souls that were lost. It was my turn next I haven't made an actual kill since before Theresa was born. This mark will be my 14th. I heard the tattooist gasp when he looked at the back of my neck. He said nothing and continued his work. When he was finished with the mark and the bandaging he shook my hand as per tradition. Then he did something totally unexpected. He looked to the base of my throat, reached out and lifted my moonstone necklace. A smile crossed his face and he bowed ever so slightly to me.

"Huntress, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

I was too shocked to respond before he moved on to the next guardian.

**~oOo~**

Later that night as everyone was starting to go to their rooms for the night, Tasha and Aaron asked Dimitri and I if they could speak to us privately. Sensing that they needed more privacy then the den or the sitting room I suggested our room. Tasha gave me a nod and I led the way. Once in our room Aaron and Tasha sat on the window bench. I locked our door and joined Dimitri at the edge of the bed. Tasha took a moment to compose herself before she spoke.

"Aaron and I have been trying to get pregnant ever since we first decided to get together. I know that just being around Rose is supposed to be like having a fertility aid but I can't get pregnant. I went to Sasha and she referred me to a specialist. I can't get pregnant because I have scarring in my uterus. They are inoperable because to remove them would remove too much tissue for me to sustain a pregnancy beyond a few months, even if I were to be on full bed rest. "

"How did this happen?" I asked her.

"Rose this story is to go no further than this room." I nodded in agreement. "When I was eighteen I was in love with another Royal. I was six months pregnant and engaged to be married when Christian's parents turned. As you know I fought back when they attacked us. I had got hold of my guardian's stake after he was killed. I slashed at my sister in law trying to keep her away from us. She even tried to take it away from me but she burned and cut her hands in the process. She accused me of taking her child from her and so she reached out to take mine fromme. She actually hit my stomach repeatedly so hard with her clawed hands that her fingers penetrated into me. Her hands had been covered in her own blood. The quad of guardians I had called for help came and killed her but not before I lost my baby. I have been scared in many ways ever since."

Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Aaron had been holding her this whole time. I rushed over and took them both into my arms.

"What can we do to help you? Have you asked Lissa to heal you?"

"I refuse to ask Lissa for fear that Christian will find out. He already bears the guilt of what his parents did and how my life changed after that. I don't think he knew about my baby and I don't want him to. I went to Oksana and to another one of the spirit wielders who is known to be a good healer. Neither of them could heal me because of the Strigoi blood that got mixed with the wounds."

"How do you think we could help?" When I asked this she gave a hard swallow but it was Aaron who answered. He looked directly at Dimitri.

"You are the most powerful spirit healer there is. I have heard stories about how after bringing someone back to life a spirit wielder is left so weak that they pass out then sleep for days."

"I have never brought anyone back from the dead."

"Victor Dashkov was at the brink of death. A few more seconds and he would have been. Dimitri I saw what you did, I was sitting right next to him. You healed his cancer and you even changed his DNA to fix the gene that causes Sandovski syndrome. After, you were only out eight hours. Lissa is known as a very powerful healer but she was only able to temporarily reverse the effects of his syndrome. She couldn't take it away"

I could feel that Dimitri didn't believe he might be strong enough to heal what others who were born spirit wielders couldn't. I sat close to him and cupped his face in my hands.

"Dimitri, it won't hurt us to try and I will be right there with you; lending you my element too." Dimitri closed his eyes and was quiet for over a full minute. I was nervous that he would refuse to try but then he opened his eyes and smiled at me.

**Dimitri POV**

Roza's eyes held so much faith in me. I don't understand how I did what I did with Victor. I don't really remember how I did it in the first place. My magic was passed to me from Adrian and though he successfully learned how to heal after he became sober, he was never as adept at healing as Lissa was. I am just as good at healing wounds as he was. So how was healing Victor different. I closed my eyes and tried to reconstruct the event in my head.

**~oOo~ Flashback ~oOo~**

Viktor again began to cough and I offered him more water. When his coughing subsided he closed his eyes to sleep. I sat there reflecting on the things that he had told me. As I reflected I listened to his labored breathing. His breaths became increasingly shallow and his heart began to beat erratically. I looked at his aura and it was beginning to fade. It was clear to me that he was dying, but I needed him to hang on untilRoza could question him. Guardian Post, who sat next to him, was looking at him with concern. I spoke to the guardian.

"I am probably going to pass out in a minute. Please lay me next to my wife but don't let us touch. If I am not awake before we get back to court tell the King and Queen that I healed the prisoner. Let them know that he was dying and I had no other choice." He nodded at me with a confused face.

I kneeled in front of Victor. I closed my eyes and put my hands on Viktor's chest. I could feel his heart struggle. I thought of all the good that he could do by giving information to Roza and with that thought I felt the joy of spirit. In my mind I could see the growths in his lungs I made them shrink to nothingness and allow air into them. His heart I saw beating with a frantic, faltering rhythm and I made it slow and find a regular beat. My intention had been to heal him enough to keep him alive for a few weeks longer but once I had begun I found it impossible to stop. I could feel his remorse and I wanted to give him the opportunity to make amends for his mistakes. I looked deeper into his cellular structure. Remembering what I had learned from Ivan's Medical classes I looked for the genetic marker that had mutated and caused his disease. When I found it I tried to make it mutate back to a normal state. It took a lot of energy but I think I saw it begin to change before I felt myself fall into a state of unconsciousness.

**~~o~O~o~~ End Flashback ~~o~O~o~~**

I understand now. The way that Adrian healed, the way I suspect other healing Spirit Users heal is by picturing the outcome that they want. When I heal the bite marks from Rose,in my mind I picture her skin as perfect. When I had healed Viktor I somehow saw his ailments. It was like I did exploratory surgery in my mind. Once I saw what was wrong I willed it to change. Even with his DNA it was like micro-surgery. Somehow I had applied my medical knowledge to my spirit ability. I opened my eyes and there was my Roza still looking at me with utter faith and hope. Knowing she believed in me whole heartedly brought a smile to my face.

"Ok let's try this. Tasha, could you please lay down?"

Tasha wore a look of cautious relief. Rose and I both stood up and allowed her to get comfortable. Aaron lifted her blouse to just below her bra and moved her skirt down to her hips. Then he sat by her head and held her hand. The moment I saw her stomach I cringed internally. There had to be at least twenty puckered puncture points.

One of the things Adrian had taught me was to block auras. I normally keep them blocked because they do give me horrible migraines if I don't. I let down my guard and took a good look at Tasha's for the first time. I could see the swirl of emotions but when I looked deeper and asked my spirit to let me see her health I saw sickness. The scars emanated a faint nauseating shade of brown that almost seemed orangish green. There was one on her left thigh, the ones on her stomach, on her chest and face. I remember in Pack training she has had trouble with her left leg.

"Tasha, how have you been feeling?"

"I have a few aches and pains here and there but I guess that comes with getting older." She is only thirty five, considering that the other pack members over 25 are practically slowly digressing in age to the state of a 25 yr old, she should not be feeling the aches and pains of age. I share a quick look with Rose telling her that this is more serious than just scars.

"Aaron I want you to help me with my wielding of love. I need you to think of all the ways you love Tasha. Imagine taking your love for her and turning it into energy. Now, put your other hand on Dimitri's back and send that energy through your arm and into him."

Rose put one hand on my knee as I sat next to Tasha and she held Tasha's other hand. I felt the energy of his love and the love Tasha has for him and the girls. What made me want to cry is the love that both of them had for the child she lost and the children they wanted.

I closed my eyes and looked into the scar tissue on her stomach. I had to look down to the cellular level but what I saw frightened me. The Strigoi blood sat in small blobs within her own tissue, it looked like cancer. I explored deeper and found that in some places it was metastasizing into her tissue with small tentacles. I imagined spirit as a beam of chemotherapy burning away the malignant cells. I found I could only heal one scar at a time. I don't know how long it took to get her stomach cleared of scar tissue, blobs of Strigoi blood and cancer but when I opened my eyes her stomach had no scars left. She was about to sit up but I pushed her back down.

"Tasha, I have to get rid of all of your scars, the ones on your leg and chest as well as your face. They are making you sick. In fact if you were human you would have been dead by your twenty fifth birthday,**"** Her eyes grew wide.

"How did you know about the other two? What has it done to me?"

"I can see the color of the cancer it has caused. You are very lucky that your body has fought it this long. By the time the doctors might have discovered it, it might have been too late**."**

I lifted her skirt high enough on her leg to reveal the scar that slashed across four inches of her thigh. Again closing my eyes and doing mental surgery I found that this scar's tentacles were pressing on her nerves and intruding on her vascular system. Using spirit's beam again I burned away the cancer and blobs. When I looked at her skin it was once again smooth and creamy. I covered her leg and moved up to her chest. I undid the top three buttons on her blouse and revealed her right breast**. **Partly hidden by her bra was a long scratch mark. I closed my eyes and repeated the procedure. When I was done I asked Aaron to check and see if the scar was gone while I averted my eyes. When I turned back he gave me a nod. I noticed her shirt was once again buttoned up.

"Do you think you could give me a moment before you work on her face?" Aaron asked. Rose and I both stood and walked a few feet away. Aaron moved over and leaned his face close to hers. He kissed each of her scars, and then whispered into her ear. Rose gasped when she heard what he did next. In a whispering voice he began to sing to her.

He only sang a few bars of the song Just the way you are, byBruno Mars but it was enough.

The way you are  
The way you are  
Girl you're amazing  
Just the way you are

When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are  
And when you smile,  
The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
Cause girl you're amazing  
Just the way you are

He kissed her sweetly on her lips then again on each scar as if saying goodbye to them.

"I want you to be healthy so thatwe can share a full life together. If it weren't necessary we would never change a thing. I love you."

"I love you too, more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person, I love you." Tasha hugged him. When he pulled away from the hug he called to me.

"Ok Doc, were ready."

Rose wiped the tears from my face then she wiped her own. We rejoined themon the bed. Again they sent me the energy of his love and her magic. With each scar I repeated the procedure. Before I let her stand I told her that I wanted to double check her uterus. Without moving her clothing out of the way I placed a hand low on her abdomen. I checked to make sure her uterus was strong then I checked her ovaries to make sure that her eggs were in good condition. I saw that she was fertile.

I opened my eyes and smiled at them.

"Ok I think I have done everything I can. Now it is up to you two. Dr. Orders are to take this woman to bed and make a baby." I gave them a wink. Tasha beamed at Aaron and he kissed her sweetly on the lips. They both gave us each a hug and said thank you. I looked at their aura's and they both look healthy and happy.

After walking them to the door I picked Roza up and carried her back to our room setting her down just inside the door. We kissed as I locked the door. We made quick work of undressing each other. I led her to the bed kissing and caressing her the whole time. Seeing the love for each other and the desire to have children together that I saw from Aaron and Tasha, I wanted even more than ever to make a baby with Rose.

"Dimitri, remember how we were reading that we might need to stimulate the Levendzki's glands to keep them producing the anti-endorphin. I think it would be a good idea and I am a little full right now."

The Levendzki's gland is a ring shaped gland that surrounds the nipple in the breasts of Moroi woman. This is the gland that secretes the hormone that counter acts the endorphins in a vampire's bite. It also is a blood rich organ though it will only provide a limited amount of blood per nursing session. When a baby Moroi (or ¾ Moroi in the case of our kids.) bites it's mother**, **endorphins are released into the gland signaling it to keep producing the hormone which prevents the high.

God I hope Rose hasn't begun to feel a high from my bite! I shudder over the thought. I hate the fact that I need to take blood. I love sharing the love with her that we do when I feed but I wish that we didn't need to feed at all. I set my self loathing aside and concentrated on loving my Roza.

**~o~O~o~ Chocolate Mousse With a Raspberry Cream Topping~o~O~o~**

I sat on the bed so that my feet were under me. Roza straddled my lap putting her chest at just the right level. She brings her mouth down to mine kissing me passionately. Our bodies respond to one another and before I realize it we are one. She arched her back once again bringing her breasts in line with my wanting mouth. I take a breast into my mouth eagerly taking the sustenance her body has made. Remembering vaguely about the gland I gently sank my fangs in. She responded with her love wrapping us in it letting it flow through us and between us. I kissed her lips again before turning my attention to her other breast.

I caressed her silky skin, her body is so beautiful and yes sometimes I still think she is so beautiful it hurts to see her. She arched her back even farther and we began to move in sync with each other bringing her to a first climax. I brought her body down to the bed so that we could be in missionary position without losing our intimate connection. We continued to make love with slow but powerful movements.

A wave of exhaustion hit me; it must have been from all the magic we used healing Tasha. Rose looked into my eyes and I know she could feel and see that it had hit me suddenly. She smiled at me with so much love then she inclined her neck to the side. I brought my mouth down to her neck and as my fangs sank in my body gave one final thrust into her. Together we reached out peek.

**~o~O~o~ Desert is over ~o~O~o~**

I gently caressed my Roza as she slept peacefully. I had never experienced a climax so beautiful and powerful before. Yet I could not bring myself to enjoy it. I could never have hated myself more for what I have just done to my sweet Roza. My beautiful loving wife and I just treated her like a common blood whore.

* * *

Quiz

1. How did the tattooest know that Rose is the Huntress?

2. How do you think Dimitri feels about having Killed again?

3. Though there was nothing sexual about the way Dimitri touched Tasha, Do you think Aaron was even slightly uncomfortable with Dimitri touching her skin with his hand? (especially on her chest.)

4. In the morning everyone will see that Tasha's scars are gone. How do you think they will react?

5. How do you think Tasha will explain the lack of scars?

6. Dimitri has fed from Rose during sex. This has been the most intense orgasm he has ever had but we see that he is ashamed of it. Do you think Rose will feel the same about it?

7. How do you think that this will effect their relationship?

Please answer and Review.


	56. Sisters

January 11, 2011

Thank you again to my beta, she has changed her penname to **Rangarose** and she has started her own story and I have to tell you guys that it is pretty awesome. Her story is called Life changes sometimes. Please look for it and give it a read and review.

Rose and Dimitri are going to be going though some issues for a while but no Marriage is perfect not even a marriage of the heart.

I do not own VA But that which is mine I happily offer to you.

Suzanna

* * *

**Chapter 56: Sisters**

Rose POV

I woke up happy and refreshed. The early morning sun was shining in the windows of our room and the birds were chirping happily. I pulled myself away from Dimitri's sleeping form. His brow was furrowed; I pressed my lips to his forehead and whispered sweetly to him.

"I am going to talk to Sonya."

I dressed in a pair of sweat pants and Dimitri's tee-shirt I love to smell of him. I grabbed my stake and phone then quietly walked out the front door. Through the bond I called out to Lissa.

"_I am going to talk to Sonya again. Do you want to come with me?"_

"_Yeah give me a second."_

I waited for her on the porch swing. Ten minutes later she came out with her hair in a pony tail and wearing a jogging suit. Juicy Couture, she bought it when we went shopping. I know it is the current fashion but there is no way I would wear anything with writing on my ass let alone the word JUICY in pink jewels. We began to jog to the park a few streets down.

"_Fine if you hate the outfit that much I will give it to the poor."_

"_Sorry didn't know you were listening to my thoughts. Liss you are too beautiful for it. You attract enough attention just being you. Besides do you're the Queen do you really think it is dignified?"_

"_Guess not. I can't picture Tatiana wearing anything like this."_

"_Maybe we should ask Ambrose?"_

We both laughed hard at that. After years of being secret lovers Tatiana has become more open with the fact that she is with him.

"I wonder what George and Evelyn will think when they find out that not only is Tatiana dating a Dhampir he is young enough to be her grandson."

"Maybe I should warn them. Boy I wasn't kidding when I told them that our world is changing."

"No kidding Lissa."

Once we got to the park we did a few stretches. I haven't gotten to work out since Dimitri and I left the academy. Mmm I miss working out there. Especially because Dimitri and I have the hottest sex after we spar.

Sonya appeared near us. I nudged Lissa and nodded toward Sonya.

She straightened out of her stretch and took a few steps in the direction I had nodded to. I joined her. It was funny seeing her try to talk to someone she couldn't see.

"Miss Carp I know you said that you don't want to break your promise to your relative but I really want to find this child." Over the last few days I have been trying to convince Sonya to tell me the name of the relative who had had an illegitimate child. About 18 years ago. Lissa wouldn't tell me who she was looking for and why. Last night I told Lissa she should ask Sonya herself.

"Tell her I can't. I have already done so many bad things by turning Strigoi; I don't want to add breaking my promise to my list of sins."

"Sonya I am going to let her into my head so she can hear and see you herself." I opened myself up to Lissa and I could feel her pull into my mind.

"Please Miss Carp. Please give me the name."

"Queen Vasalisa, you are asking me to break a promise. I have sinned enough please don't ask me to commit another by going against my word."

"Call me Lissa. I understand that you don't want to break your promise but I have the right to know my own family. I know that the child is my brother or sister. There are few remaining members of my line. Please give me the name."

Shock hits me. From Lissa I sense that she had not meant to confess that she is searching for her sibling.

"You clam Rose as your sister, are you saying that she isn't enough for you?" Sonya asked defensively.

Lissa tried to hide the guilt she felt. She does love me but she also yearns for blood relatives. I set aside my hurt to help her cause.

"Sonya, I am her sister and if she has a half sister or brother out there I want to find them too. I am they're guardian too and I can't protect them if I don't know who they are."

"Please Sonya, I need my family behind me as Queen, but more than that I need them because whoever they are and wherever they are I love them."

Sonya gave a sigh and began pacing.

"OK…. My cousin Emily had a relationship with your father nineteen years ago. She gave birth to a girl, you have a sister. Emily married a man named John Mastrano when her daughter was just five. I will leave it to Emily to tell you where her Daughter is but Emily lives in Arizona."

"Jill Mastrano is Lissa's sister? Her hair is darker but those eyes I should have known her eyes are the same."

"Jill, as in, Jailbait, Jill?"

Lissa had been jealous of Jill because Avery had her convinced that Christian and Jill had a thing going even though it was obvious that Jill had a crush on Adrian. After Chris broke up with Lissa he started to hang with a group of students who wanted to learn defensive magic. Jill was part of that group and they hung out a lot. I could still feel some of the old jealousy thought the bond.

"Why do you call her that?" Sonya asked.

"She had a crush on Adrian and we called her Jailbait to tease him."

"Oh"

Sonya gave us the address to Emily's house. She let me know what the Strigoi were up to. I made my daily call to the guardian council before we jogged back home.

"Lissa how come you didn't tell me you were looking for your half sibling?"

"I may be queen but sometimes I need backing to get the Moroi council to see things my way. Tatiana has been sitting in for Arianna but the fact that she is not a Dragomir has come up a few times. Daniella told me about an illegitimate child my father had. I didn't want to believe her at first but I asked a few people who knew my father. They confirmed that he had an affair but no one knew with whom. It took some research but we found bank records showing yearly deposits for a Jane Doe. Sonya Carp was listed as a second name on the account."

"But why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I didn't want you to put your honeymoon aside for me."

"Bullshit. You are lying and I can tell?"

"Look Rose, part of me got really excited to find out that I have a sibling. You are my sister in every way that counts and I didn't want you to feel like I am replacing you."

"Lissa by not telling me you have made me feel like I am not as close as we thought. I would have been thrilled and wanted to go out and find our little brother or sister."

"Oh Rose, I am so sorry! I should have told you right away." Lissa had tears in her eyes and through the bond I felt remorse. "Please forgive me?"

I gave her a hug and told her she was forgiven. I do forgive her but I still feel a bit affronted. I hope in time I will get over the hurt feelings.

When we got back to Lissa's house there was quite a stir going on. Everyone was asking Tasha about her scars, or lack thereof. After a while she just made a general announcement.

"I have never been ashamed of my scars, I thought of them as Molnija marks of a sort. I found out recently though that because they contained a small amount of Strigoi blood, they were making me sick so I asked a friend to heal them from me. I really don't want to hear any more about it."

I could see relief in Dimitri's eyes. I am sure he didn't want her to tell everyone that he had cured her of cancer. Eventually the conversation turned to the plans of the day. The family was going to go back to court today. Lissa was going to go with them to help them settle in. We would be staying here in Lissa's house for a few days with our kids. Lissa and Christian would be coming back and from here we would fly to Arizona to talk to Emily Mastrono and hopefully find out where Jill is.

It took two Stretched Hummer Limos that seat 16-20 passengers, to drive everyone to the airport. Lissa, Chris, their four kids, Eddie Mia and Liliana, and Lissa's eleven court Guardians took up one Hummer. George and his family took up the other. Dimitri and I drove a rented Denali hybrid. We saw them off to the airport. Gina asked if she could stay with us but her father wanted her to go with her family to get acquainted with life at court. Emma assured her that she would be home in a few days.

After we saw them off we decided to take the kids shopping. I wanted to show them some of the places where Lissa and I had spent a lot of time; so we went to the Block at Orange, the mall Lissa and I had worked at. There is a large theater, along with lots of the typical shops. As guardians we never fully put down our guard but still it was nice to be able to relax and just shop. Dimitri is not a clothes hound or anything but even he seemed to enjoy it.

We bought some swim wear for ourselves and the kids. Dimitri insisted He and I buy some more shorts and summer shirts because he wanted to take me somewhere in Arizona that he and Ivan had spent a lot of time at. Emma helped me pick out some cute sundresses too.

I noticed she kept getting text messages. I could tell by her smile that they were from Ben. He seemed to be giving her a running account of his trip to the European Court in Russia. Every once in a while she would ask Dimitri about something Ben had described to her. I don't think that her smile was lost on him but he didn't question her about it.

After lunch at Johnny Rockets we took the kids to see Tangled. I made me think about how Dimitri climbed up to my old dorm the morning I was upset. He had called me Rapunzel. He and I sat far from each other with the kids all sitting between us. I wish he was next to me so that we could tangle our fingers in each other's hair.

We took the kids home and ordered Pizza for diner. Dimitri wanted to watch another movie and have a sleep over the family room with the kids. It was a disaster; the little kids were over tired and too fussy for a movie. Mid way though the movie I gave up.

"Ok guys I think it is time for a bathy. Emma could you get Essa and Alissa, you could use the bath in your room and I will get Xander and Lil' Adrian in mine."

"No problem mom. Come on girls I have some bubble bath in my room." The girls went with her happily once they heard the word `bubbles'. Xander went with me willingly but Addy who was the fussiest had to be picked up and carried."

"Do you want some help Rose?" Dimitri asked as he began straightening up the room.

"No it's ok Comrade, I got it."

I put in some of my relaxing aroma therapy oil in the bath water and gave them a quick scrubbing. I could see Addy's eyes droop by the time I had him wrapped in a towel. Dimitri was in bed already reading one of his western books. The boys gave him kisses good night as we walked on through. I got them in their Jammies and into bed. I didn't even have a chance to say prayers with them before they were asleep. I went to say good night to the girls. Emma was just tucking them in when I went in. They were also fast asleep; so I just gave them kisses and headed out with Emma. I waited in Emma's room while she changed in her bathroom. When she was done I tucked her in too.

"Mom, is it worth it?"

"Is what worth what?"

"Being the huntress, and being able to wield love, is it worth everything you have had to go through?"

"For me, yes it is."

"Do you ever feel like you were too young?"

"I was too busy trying to deal with it to think about it. I guess the things I went through have made me grow up. I have always wanted for you and all my children to be blessed with a long happy childhood and youth before you have to grow up."

"When I find my husband of my heart do I have to start having babies right away?"

"I don't know sweetie. I guess a lot of it depends on your will power and what you decide as a couple. I want you to know that when your time comes, you will have me and your fathers and the rest of our family behind you. But for now please take advantage and enjoy your youth. Once you take that step there is no going back."

I kissed her on the forehead and left her room. It was odd that Dimitri didn't come in to say goodnight to her. I walked into our room and found Dimitri asleep with the book over his chest. I took the book from his hand and rested it on his nightstand. In the bathroom I found pajama top and a pair of panties. I took my shower and dressed in the things Dimitri left for me.

I snuggled up to him in bed. I really wish he was awake because I wanted to tell him about Lissa not telling me about her sister. Oh well maybe tomorrow.

* * *

**Quiz Questions**

1. Why do you think that Lissa kept her search for her sibling secret?

2. How do you think that this will affect the relationship that Rose and Lissa have?

3. Do you think Emma senses that her youth is going to be cut short like her mother's?

4. Dimitri is acting a bit strange, What's up with him?

Please Review and if you can answer the questions because I love to read your answeres

Suzanna


	57. Alternitives

_Chapter 57: Alternatives_

Dimitri POV

I woke very early to the sound of birds singing and a cool breeze wafting in from the open window carrying the scent of eucalyptus with it. Rose once told me that she loves the smell of Eucalyptus trees. There are many of them in this neighborhood. In fact there is one just outside of the bedroom window. I wonder if this is where her love of them comes from. I think I will plant one near our home and help it grow so it may reach our window. I think she will like that. I looked down to see her sleeping so peacefully in my arms. Guilt courses through me once again. I still can't believe that I fed from her during sex. Carefully I pull away and head to the shower where I can think.

I don't know what to do right now. I feel so unworthy of her; I know I could never leave her even if it was for her own good. Other than Adrian there isn't anyone I would trust to love my Roza and our children. The need for her blood aside I know I would never survive without her. My heart could not function without her. Hell just contemplating the thought of not having her and my kids makes me feel like I can't breathe.

She was so beautiful this morning I wanted to wake her with kisses and make love to her. I am afraid to make love to her for fear of biting her again. I have felt the desire to feed during our physical encounters since this whole honeymoon began. Now that I have done it the desire is stronger now. I found myself trying not to be alone with her yesterday. I even tried to get the kids to agree to a sleep over in the family room. I should have known that they were going to be way too tired for that. I made sure that I fell asleep before she got back to the room so that we wouldn't get intimate. I already know I can't keep avoiding intimacy with her but I am not sure how to handle it right now.

When I was first returned to myself and Rose was married to a very living Adrian, our feedings were our only way of making love. When we could not be together physically because of her pregnancy and the year of abstinence we would pleasure each other in other ways but when we made love it was through our feedings. It was an emotional release but to a certain extent there was a physical release too. I didn't actually ejaculate but there were still some very intense physical sensations that accompanied our feedings. The other night when we fed during our lovemaking, the sensations of the physical and emotional releases happening at the same time had been mind blowing.

I have to find a way to change the nature of our feedings. Maybe if they are not so well pleasurable then maybe I will be able to change my reactions to them. Perhaps it is time to find alternatives. I love Rose and I am willing to try anything. I have to make sure that I don't demean her like that again.

I dried off and dressed quickly. I went down to the kitchen and called the local Feeder's Service. The kids would need to have a visit with a feeder today anyway. I scheduled a feeder to arrive within a half an hour. I requested that they also bring a fresh bag of blood from a clean human source.

It was still early and I know Rose will still be asleep for a while. I went about getting breakfast ready. I mixed batter for Bellini and cut a large bowl of Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Star fruit, Kiwi, and Strawberries. By the time I had finished with the fruit I could hear the buzzer from the front gate. I told the guard to let our guests through. I met them at the door and asked them in. The Driver was a perky Moroi with ash blond hair to her shoulders and blue eyes. The Feeder was a short human, she was a cute redhead with green eyes. She looked no older than Rose. I told them that the kids were not up but I offered them triple the price and breakfast if they could stay and wait. They joined me in the kitchen while I cooked. The driver handed me the bag of blood with a bit of a curious expression but said nothing.

I took the bag and went to the butler's pantry to drink it. It was fresh and still had some of the warmth of the person who donated it. Not bothering to heat it back to body temperature I sank my fangs in. I had to hold back my gag reflex but I managed to force the entire contains down. I waited a few minutes while the nausea began to fade. In the pantry I found some cans of Ginger Ale. I took one and returned to the kitchen. I decided to keep my mind off my slightly queasy stomach by chatting with the women as I cooked. I knew the kids would be down as soon as they smelled food cooking.

Addy and Zander came tearing down the stairs by the time the bacon was half fried. My giggle girl could be heard laughing about something as she approached the kitchen. Emma walked in with her holding Allie in her arms. I sent the kids to the feeder while I worked on breakfast. Last down was my Roza. She was tying her robe as she walked in. I got a glimpse of what she was wearing and boy did she look hot. She must have changed before coming down for breakfast. I loved the nightie set she was wearing. It was a silk tank and shorts set, sexy without being slutty. The color of it was deep emerald green, my favorite color, also the shade of Adrian's eyes.

Rose gave me a kiss; she stiffened and lingered near my lips for a moment before pulling away. Guilt washed over me. I should have talked to her after what happened the other night but I am not even sure she remembers it. I should have discussed the idea of me trying a feeder. Rose turned and helped me make breakfast as she normally would. She was quiet while we cooked and she wouldn't look me in the face but she kept giving me suspicious glances as we worked.

Once everyone was fed both food and for the little kids blood as well, the feeder left. We had to get the kids dressed and ready for the day. I had promised Rose and the kids that we could go to the beach today. Rose took the little girls up to their room while I took the boys. I got them dressed in their swim trunks and slathered them with sunscreen. My kids may be 1/4th Dhampir but they a still vulnerable to sunburn if exposed to too much sun just like a human would but not quite as much as a full Moroi. I put a tee shirt and sandals on each of them. I packed a change of clothing and a towel in the monogrammed beach bags Rose got for them.

I went to get dressed myself. Rose was braiding her hair when I walked in. She looked so beautiful in the pale purple sundress she had on. I came up behind her and began to kiss her neck not because I was in need of blood but because I wanted to be close to her. She reacted in a way that astounded me. She stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word.

My stomach which had been unsettled all morning seemed to do a flip. I ran to the bathroom and threw up for the first time in a long time. The last time I threw up was before we figured out that I could only feed from Rose. I had tried to eat a normal amount of breakfast and as it all came back out I wished I had not tried so hard. I had really hoped that perhaps I would be able to tolerate the blood of a human who was clean of drugs and didn't have the endorphins from multiple vampires in their blood. I also hoped that if it was not directly taken maybe I could talk myself into keeping it down. I was thinking that if I could be able to make my body accept the blood of a clean feeder then I would be able to keep my need for blood sated. I could feel free to enjoy my physical relationship with Rose without wanting to feed from her.

Once my stomach was emptied I came out to find a can of Ginger Ale and a pack of saltine crackers on the dresser. I brought them over to the window seat and ate them while I contemplated my next step. Rose has mentioned that I don't feed as often as I should so perhaps I will make it part of a daily ritual to feed during a time when Rose and I are not apt to get physical. I know she is mad at me for trying a feeder without talking about it with her first.

I finished dressing and headed down stairs to the family room. Emma and the kids were sitting around watching a movie. Well the kids were but Emma was texting. I am sure by the color of her Aura that she is texting with UNCLE Ben. I might have to have a talk with him when we get back. I am just glad that he is in Europe till after we get back. She is going to be going back without us for two weeks and I am relieved that he isn't there.

"Dad, are you feeling better? I heard you getting sick when I told mom she said that you ate something that upset your stomach. She asked me to bring you the ale and crackers. I would have thought she would have wanted to take them to you but she said she had to make a phone call. I think she is talking to Aunt Vicky."

"Where is she?"

"She's out back by the pool. Do you feel well enough to go to the beach cuz if you don't Mom said she would still take us. If you want we could stay here and hang in the pool."

"I feel better now, I want to go with you, you know Mom loves the beach and I want to share that with her. The little ones have never been before; I don't want to miss their first trip to the beach. Let me get the stuff in the car then I will get Rose."

"K….. Hey dad is everything ok? You guys are acting weird lately." Her concern was so evident in her eyes.

"Emma every relationship sometimes has its bumps. We're ok and I promise we will get it all sorted out." I took her in my arms and gave her a reassuring hug.

After I got all our bags in the car I went to find my Roza.

Rose POV

I woke up this morning to an empty bed. I could smell bacon frying and coffee brewing. I decided to make myself look good for Dimitri before going down. I brushed my long locks till they fell in silky waves down my back. I changed my pajama top for a silky pajama tank with a matching short in a deep emerald green. Over that I put on my black silk robe.

As I neared the kitchen I heard Dimitri telling the kids to visit with the feeder. He called a feeder? I don't like the idea of the kids feeding off of some anonymous person. At home they have Alice and we are thinking of adding another feeder but I want to screen them first before allowing them to live with my family. They are my kids and I have no qualms about feeding them myself. In fact I fed them earlier in the week because I didn't want to let them go to the feeder Lissa called. I fed them and Lissa because she has gotten picky about feeders since she is pregnant again. Lissa was nice enough to heal me so everyone wouldn't see the marks. According to Sasha, as long as I am in good health, I can feed all our kids and Dimitri in a day if I need to though she would prefer if I alternated a bit. I guess I never told Dimitri how I feel about feeders I don't know feeding our kids. Oh well what's done is done.

I made sure to tie my robe before I entered the kitchen. My Russian demigod was standing by the stove flipping a Bellini. I gave him a quick kiss but I froze when I thought I tasted blood on his mouth. I hovered for a moment, letting my nose tell me if my taste buds were right. I didn't know how to react. If he were Moroi it would have been normal for him to visit with a feeder. In the beginning we had thought he would use a feeder but to be honest I was relieved that mine was the only blood he could tolerate. For me, our feedings are very special and I feel like I just found out he cheated on me.

I put up my mask and pretended everything was normal. I wanted to shout and cry but I didn't want the kids to know that something was wrong. The feeder and her driver stayed for breakfast. I did my best to be polite but it was so hard. Could you imagine eating with your husband's mistress. I couldn't help but look over at Dimitri every once in a while. He was pale and looked as if he was not feeling well. He looks guilty and I wonder what would have possessed him to try a feeder.

Yesterday we had planned on taking the kids to the beach and they were all excited about it. After breakfast the feeder left and we went to get the kids ready. Theresa dresses herself so with her all I had to do was put her sunscreen on. I went downstairs and put a movie on for the kids so that they had something to do while I got ready.

I went back to my room for a quick change. I was braiding my hair at my vanity table when Dimitri came in. I could see him though the mirror. He had a look of love and lust in his eye as he watched me. He crossed the room and bent down to my neck. His lips were warm and soft but the image of his mouth on that feeder popped into my head. I thought of him giving her his sensuous vampire's kiss and I had to get away from him. If I didn't get away I was going to confront him and it wouldn't be something I want my kids to experience. I did the only thing I could; I got up and walked away as calmly as I could.

Half way down the stairs I could hear him retching. With a sigh I went to the kitchen to get him something to settle his stomach. I looked in the refrigerator in the butler's pantry for a ginger ale and I grabbed the saltines from the shelf. I was about to walk out when I smelled blood. I looked down in the garbage pail; and there was a blood bag sitting on the top. I picked it up and smelled it. It smelled the same as what I had smelled on Dimitri. The feeder has some gaudy smelling perfume on that he hadn't smelled of. I only felt a little better but I was still upset that he would decide to try a feeder without talking to me. Emma came up to me with worry written on her face.

"Mom, Dad is throwing up!"

"I know sweetie. He ate something that upset his stomach. Could you take these to him? I need to talk to Auntie Vicky. When I am done I will take you guys to the beach even if dad doesn't feel like going." I handed her the ale and crackers; she ran up to take them and I walked out to the back yard.

I sat down in a chair by the pool. Eric, Lissa's dad had loved trees so he had many of them planted around his property. I looked up into the nearest one and watched the finches flitting about. I don't know how long I sat there with my phone resting in my hand. I feel betrayed by the people I am supposed to be closest to; Lissa and Dimitri. I don't understand why Liss sends me away while she goes out on a search for her sibling. I don't understand what is up with Dimitri. We were having a perfect honeymoon and even with the rescue mission it was going great. Then yesterday he starts to pull away. I noticed that he wouldn't be alone with me all day and the whole family sleep over was seemed like an excuse for him not to have to be alone with me all night. Then there is the whole feeder/donor blood thing.

"Rose the car is packed and we are ready to go." I jumped when I heard his voice.

I felt so conflicted. I wanted so badly to talk to him and demand he tell me, what is going on. And I wanted to just run into his arms and have him comfort me as he always has in the past. Mostly I felt numb with indecision. I just sat there looking at him while my thoughts swirled in my head.

He came up to me and took my hand. I stood and he wrapped an arm around me; involuntarily I stiffened. I put my mask up and tried to act normal. Dimitri bent down and whispered in my ear.

"Roza I love you with all my heart and I am sorry I upset you by trying a feeder without talking to you about it. I want you to know that when I kissed your neck earlier it was because I wanted to show you affection not because I wanted to bite you."

"I'm not afraid of your bite."

"You were once, till I forced it on you." His voice was so quiet and he sounded pained. I looked up and saw the haunted look that I have not seen in a long time.

"The past is over; the present is a much better place to live. We need to talk about this privately. I am upset but I love you." I gave him a hug then walked out to the car feeling a little better. I still don't know what brought this on but I guess Dimitri is thinking about the guilt he harbors from his time as a Strigoi.

Emma and the little kids were waiting in the car, all buckled and ready to see the ocean. I could tell that Emma was relieved to see Dimitri and I holding each other. She saw her father and his wife argue a lot and I realize that seeing us go through stress must have worried her. I promise myself that I will hold it together for the kids.

We played at the beach all day. We had a bonfire and cooked Hot dogs over it for lunch. Dimitri, put up one of those tent like things people use on picnics and I put the kids to nap in the afternoon in it. We watched the sunset over the water then had a late dinner. By the time we got back home the kids were completely exhausted and so were we. The kids were too tired for a bath so I opted to just shampoo their hair and rinse them down. We kissed them goodnight and smiled as the fell instantly to sleep. When we went to say good night to Emma, she was asleep with her hand holding her phone. The last text was still on the screen. It was a goodnight sleep tight form Uncle Ben. I shook my head and plugged her phone in before kissing her. Dimitri looked at her sweetly as he cleared her bangs way from her forehead. He kissed her on the space he just cleared, and walked out with me.

I knew that Dimitri needed to feed; I wanted to forget about this morning and reconnect with Dimitri.

"Shower with me?" He smiled tentatively.

"Yes love."

Dimitri took off his own clothing so I followed suit. Once in the shower I noticed he was looking pale.

"You need to feed, comrade, for your health and the safety of those you love."

I offered him my neck and held him. He bent down to meet me and he whispered I love you in my ear before giving me his vampire's kiss. Our love wrapped around us and I felt complete. Standing so close to him naked I couldn't miss the fact that he was becoming erect. I wanted and needed him too. Wrapping a leg around him I brought our bodies closer together. He pulled away but placed his forehead against mine. His breathing was hard like mine and his eyes were closed.

"Rose, let's get all the sand and salt off of us first then we can make love all night."

"I would rather make love now but we will do things your way."

I held him close for a few more minutes before letting him go. We washed each other quickly. He washed and conditioned my hair and ran my comb through it to get out the snarls from the beach.

We were just getting started with kissing and caressing when there was a knock at our door. Dimitri covered up and I put on my robe to answer the door. A teary eyed Theresa stood there. I scooped her up and held her. I couldn't get more out of her then that she had a bad dream and wanted to sleep with us. I was aware of Dimitri moving around the room while I tried to comfort her.

"Here Roza let me take her, I put your nighties in the bathroom for you to change into."

He was already dressed in shorts and a muscle shirt. I handed her over to her father and went to change. Once in bed she insisted on lying between us. We both wrapped and arm over her and each other. She put her arms over ours essentially pinning us to her and together. I had originally intended to let her stay with us till she fell asleep then we would take her back to her room so we could 'reconnect' but soon exhaustion over took me and I fell asleep thinking

"Oh well, maybe tomorrow."


	58. The Repentant

January 23, 2011

Thank you to all who have been praying for my dad. He is doing good and if all goes well we will have him coming home on Valentine's Day. He celebrated his 84th birthday this weekend and was in good spirits.

I have a question for you. I have considered going back to the earlier chapters in this story and doing some serious editing to correct my atrocious spelling and grammatical mistakes. Do you think that I should or should I just leave it as it is?

I have begun posting chapters of She Called Him Comrade. I think many of you would like it so please read it and review, tell me what you think.

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**Chapter 58: The Repentant.**

**Adrian POV**

I am so frustrated right now. I know no one said that being a Spirit Guide was going to be easy but I chose this so that I could help them in their journey. Right now I am being told to hold off and let them work it out on their own. Ok so I understand that their bond will be stronger if they work it out on their own but I hate see my Lil' Dhampir suffering. Dimitri is making himself miserable and our Little Dhampirs are feeling the stress, it is upsetting them.

Emma and Theresa can feel that the bond between their parents is slightly off. Emma is old enough to ask questions but poor Theresa doesn't know how to express herself to them. Emma spoke to Dimitri and he assured her that every relationship has bumps but they will work it out. This did give her some comfort. Theresa on the other hand sees that everything appears normal but she feels otherwise.

Right now I am watching as she sleeps between them holding on to them and making sure that they are holding on to one another as well. Dimitri and Rose will always be together because the thought of separating permanently is too painful and to do so would be emotionally and physically excruciating. Besides Dimitri needs Rose's blood to survive she would never even think of being away from him for more than a few days at most.

Agh! I know they will figure it out they have to for Emma's sake. As it is fate is already matched her up with Ben. They will be married by the heart much too soon for my taste but so long as Rose and Dimitri get themselves back on track then Emma will not be drawn to unite physically with her husband till they are more ready for the responsibility of having a child. However if they fail to fix this situation then Emma and Ben will be drawn together that much sooner.

Part of me wants to shake Dimitri till he comes to his senses. In a dream walk a week ago he asked me why I thought Rose was not carrying a baby yet. He had told me Yeva's theory about being given the gift of time. It is true that fate wanted to give them some time to re connect but there is also another facet that I was not allowed to fully explain. I was only allowed to tell him that there was also something that he would need to figure out on his own.

I know he is supposed to have some crazy hi IQ but for a smart guy he can be soooo dumb. See in order for the bond of the marriage of the heart to happen each of them had to GIVE and receive everything about the other, Heart, Mind, Body and Soul. Dimitri gave himself to her entirely as she did him. The bond was formed and they conceived Theresa within the same hour. They were both genetically altered so that she could only conceive with him. He in turn would never be able to impregnate any other woman.

When Dimitri was turned and he was undead the bond between them was fractured. It was fractured farther when she had actually seen him and realized the truth that he was truly not the Dimitri she had loved; he was not Her Dimitri anymore. The bond was never broken but fractured just enough to allow her heart to love me and for her body to accept me as a match to her; allowing her to conceive with me.

When we brought him back to himself the bond was only partly healed. Rose had offered to him all of her including the part of her that loved me. And he accepted everything she was, it was through this that I became part of their bond. Yeva was right our lives were truly intertwined. None of us was aware of my part of their marriage of the heart and I didn't even learn about it till after I died. It was significant though because it helped us live in harmony without jealousy of each other.

There is part of Dimitri that he himself still hates. You know that old saying you cannot love another unless you can first love yourself; well in this case it is very true. Dimitri hates how the Strigoi has changed him. Though it comes in handy to have enhanced speed, strength and senses; he hates that it comes with the price of needing blood. Yes it is true that for years already, sharing her blood was the only way that they could make love. Part of him hated himself for enjoying it so much. Now that they can be physically intimate he wants to be able to end the feedings. He wants to not feel the pleasure that they brought him. Because Dimitri hates this part of himself he is not able to give it to Rose. If he does not offer it to her she cannot accept it; though I know she is more than willing.

The blood bond is actually essential to her as a Wielder. In some way it makes her stronger to have it with him than she would be otherwise. There is a good chance that fate may impose a blood bond on Emma and Ben too. As for Theresa once she finds her other half and they are married thought the bond, he will be the only one she will be able to feed from; no matter if he is Human, Dhampir or Moroi.

I wish I could tell them all this but until they figure it out and fix it, I must stay silent. Being a spirit guide who is bound to do whatever I am told to do sucks.

**Christian's POV**

We are back on a plane on our way to pick up Rose and Dimitri and then go see Emily Mastrano. I am so embarrassed by my behavior. A few days ago when we got home from California, Guardian Isham was waiting to speak with me privately. He looked so serious but I couldn't think of what he would want to talk to me about. Not that we don't talk often because we do. Sasha, Andrew and the kids are part of the family. They come to dinner at least a couple times a month; we have had big family picnics and barbecues. We went to the sitting room where we could have some privacy.

"Your highness, May I speak to with you not as King and Guardian but as cousins in the same family."

"Andrew you may always speak to me as family. What has you so upset?"

"A few months ago an incident happened in the guardian's gym at court. Rose happened to be there that day and she overheard a very hurtful conversation about her. I was around the corner and heard the whole conversation. Just as I was stepping in to reprimand the offending guardians I saw her run off."

"How come she never mentioned this to anyone?"

"She was much too embarrassed to say anything or to let me say anything. Part of what the men were gossiping about they heard from a member of this household."

This outraged me and I stood up.

"Who would do something so horrible to Rose? She is the rock that this family is built on."

"I believe there was no harm intended but Christian it was you."

"I love Rose, she is my sister, sister in law, friend. I wouldn't say hurtful things about her. What was the conversation about?"

"It was about her sex life. They were talking about how loose she probably is after her wild teen years, having four babies and her abundant sex life with Adrian."

"Oh God, how humiliating? But I never said anything to anyone else about her sex life."

"One man quoted a conversation he heard you have with Adrian himself. You were teasing Adrian about their frequency. The guardian said he happened to be guarding the room at the time."

I fell back into my seat. How many times have I teased her or her husbands about being so passionate? A few times Adrian had even tried to tell me to watch my mouth. I can't believe how crass I have been. Guardians are people too and to forget that they are in a room and talk about such private matters in front of them is beyond rude.

"Oh poor Rose. I can't begin to imagine how much it hurt her that I was partly to blame for this."

"She understands that Moroi are used to guardians being in the background. We are taught to see without seeing. We are to be alert and aware of what is happening around us yet to appear as if we are staring ahead and not paying attention to whatever the Moroi are saying or doing. She doesn't hold it against you but she decided that you should know so that you could be more mindful in the future."

"Andrew, why now, why did she wait till now to tell me? Why didn't she tell me herself?"

"She and Dimitri decided it was safer for you if I told you. She didn't tell Dimitri till after they began their honey moon."

"And why was that?"

"It effected her confidence. They worked it out together and they are fine now."

"I feel as if I unintentionally betrayed her. I just spent the last three days with her and she never said anything. She and Dimitri treated me with their normal kindness and humor. I don't know what to think. How could I make this up to her?"

"Learn from your mistakes. That is all she asks of you. I would have spoken to you about this earlier but I was away and didn't get back till yesterday."

He had to leave for a shift after and I went straight to my room. Lissa was busy with family things till almost 3 pm. When she finally came to bed she fell asleep before I could tell her. She didn't sleep well though. I guess she must have done something that hurt Rose too because she dreamed of her. I heard her mumbling apologies to Rose half the night.

The next day we were both busy getting her cousin George and his family situated. We had to arrange for professional movers to go and pack up their old homes. We had to get a real-estate agent to help them find permanent housing for when their possessions and furniture gets here. We had to figure out which of the account in the courts bank belonged to them. They were not as wealthy as Lissa's parents were but still they did still have a very nice financial cushion waiting for them. We had to introduce them to the Counsel and get them listed among the living again. In the coming weeks they will be helped with job searches and the children will be enrolled in the court academy.

Last night Lissa unburdened herself and told me that she had purposely blocked Rose from knowing about her search for her sister. We talked it through and tried to figure out why she would do that. I told her how I unintentionally hurt Rose too. Neither of us slept well last night. The stress of getting George's family settled, worrying about how we have hurt Rose, and going to seek her sister has had us both in knots. The morning sickness has been really bad for Lissa this morning. She fell asleep almost instantly after we boarded the Jet.

We are all tired after all the excitement of the past week. Despite Janine's protests we were only bringing three guardians with us. Eddie was of course guarding Lissa with the help of Johannes who Abe insisted we bring. Nikolai would be guarding me. Ivan and Arthur were coming along with Helen to escort Rose's Children home safely. The guardians decided to rest once we got in the air and were deciding who would take the shift while the others slept. Sometimes I really am amazed at the dedication of our friends.

Helen sat a few seats away reading a book that Dimitri had lent her. She was trained to be guardian too but she failed her qualifier because her examiner thought she was too soft hearted. I have seen her in a fight and she is fearless and just as deadly as a mother lion. I have asked her if she regrets that she never got her promise mark. She told me she was happy with her life. She went on to have a wonderful relationship with a non royal and they lived together for ten years and had a daughter together. Now she is a grandmother and she has a job where she is free to love and care for everyone in the house.

Feeling the weariness of fatigue setting in I snuggled closer to Lissa. Thought of Rose and the conversation she overheard plagued me but for what it was worth sleep eventually found me.

**Lissa POV**

I woke up when I felt the jet change altitude. The cabin lights were off but with the light that came through the one open shade I could see that almost everyone was asleep. Arthur was standing in front of the large screen were we watch movies. He seemed to be lost in thought but I know he is still on alert even if he is thinking. Looking at his aura I can see sadness and longing. He still misses Adrian. He has been Adrian's guardian since Adrian came to live at the House on Cherry Hill as a child. Adrian's real great Aunt (the one who he thought was his grandmother) feared that Nathan might do something to harm him after Daniella divorced him.

Arthur had been out of Academy for two years and he had already killed three Strigoi. His former charge was a fire wielder who had on one occasion decided to go looking for Strigoi. Arthur didn't know what his plans were Strigoi hunting instead of partying at the Nightingale club in Russia. By the end of the evening they had killed 3 Strigoi. Oddly enough it wasn't Strigoi that killed him; he died a few days later of a rare heart attack.

Arthur was only twenty when he began guarding a ten year old Adrian. Though he knew that guardians are not supposed to get attached to their charges he couldn't help but think of him as a cross between a surrogate son and a little brother. It was Arthur who taught Adrian how to play catch and how to ride a bike. He taught him all the things that his own uncle had taught him as a kid. Arthur knew about the things that Adrian had suffered by the hand of his father and he vowed to himself that he would protect Adrian from all harm.

Now that Adrian is gone he feels like he has lost a son. He has transferred his protection to Adrian's children, all of them. He accepts Theresa and Emma as Adrian's children and I have seen him smile when we mention that Rose will be coming home pregnant from her honeymoon. I think that though he would never admit it but he guards Rose and Dimitri too. If Rose or Dimitri has noticed they don't seem to mind. Rose has accepted Arthur as part of her family and part of her Pack.

I wonder what Arthur would think if he knew how badly Chris and I have unintentionally hurt Rose? He liked Rose for Adrian from day one. When he saw that Adrian wanted to be a better man so that he could be worthy of a woman like Rose his like went to all out approval. I am sure he will be very upset with us for hurting her.

I know I should have told Rose about having a sibling as soon as I heard but first of all she was on her honeymoon already but also well…. This is my Dimitri. When she left to search for him it was something she had to do on her own. She didn't tell me about the relationship for many reasons but one of them was that I had the love of my life and she wasn't supposed to have him. Their relationship was legally wrong in the first place and adding that they were my guardians made it worse. Seeing me with my happily ever after was something that was very painful to her.

I know that the situation isn't the same but I know that I have her and I have a wonderful family thought her, but was still considered the last (adult) Dragomir. I have watched her relationship with her mother grow over the last three years. Janine has been there for her wedding and her pregnancies; it makes me miss what could have been with my parents. I look at Jaden and Oliver and sometimes I swear I see bits of my dad and Andre and I miss them so much. I block my feelings of longing from Rose because I don't want to hurt her. It was my personal pain and when I found out that I had a sibling it was like I had an unspoken promise to my dad to find them and bring them home.

When I talked it out with Chris last night I realized something. For so many years my parents and brother were almost like her family too. My parents loved Rose and wanted her with us for holidays and vacations. Janine told me recently that when we were ten my parents petitioned to adopt Rose. When they realized that Janine really loved her daughter despite the rocky relationship they had, they withdrew the petition. As far as my parents were concerned they loved her as a daughter and even set a college fund for her. We found out about it when we were searching father's back records for evidence of my sibling. They loved her as a daughter, I love her as a sister and I know she feels the same about me. It dawned on me that when I lost my family, so did she. After I realized that my search really doesn't feel so personal any more. I want and need my sister there when I talk to Jill.

The jet began its descent and I became more nervous. I haven't spoken to Rose since we left California the other day. Chris and Dimitri had made arrangements for today because I was too busy with my new found family members to get things in place for our return to Orange County or the flight to Hyden, Arizona. What if she doesn't want to join me on my quest? I don't blame her if she declines but the more I think about it the more I want her with me.

My stomach does a flip and a churn. I got the barf bag to my mouth just in time. Chris woke up instantly at the sound of my vomiting. He was rubbing my back within seconds. When I looked up every guardian was awake and alert. Helen appeared beside me with a can of Ginger ale and Saltine crackers. I could feel my face burn with embarrassment even though I am sure I had gone paler then I already was.

"Sorry" I said meekly "morning sickness." They all nodded and turned to face forward. The jet finally landed.

We would have a few hours with Rose and Dimitri before we all leave for Arizona. Chris and I waited onboard till Nikolai gave the all clear. Chris and I held hands as we disembarked. In sync we took a deep breath, steadying ourselves to face the ones we hurt.

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**POP QUIZ**

What do you think of Adrian's revelation that inadvertently he had been integrated into the marriage of the heart with Rose and Dimitri. Does it make sense to you that this happened?

Do you think Rose and Dimitri will get their bond back on track before Emma and Ben suffer the consequences?

What do you think when though Chris's mind when he went to his room to think about what he had said to Adrian? Do you think he will be more careful in the future?

Now that you have read Lissa's reasoning for not telling Rose about her sibling do you think that Rose will understand.

Do you think Rose will be willing to go with her to talk to Jill once they find out from Emily where she is?

Thank you for all of you who are still reading my ridiculously long story. There is an end in sight but I won't put any predictions on how many more chapters we are going to have before we get to it. It will end when the voices tell me.

**Please Review**

Suzanna


	59. The Love of Family

February 10, 2011

I don't know why but this was a hard chapter to write. I really hope you like it. We get to see a bit more of Emma in this chapter.

Thank you Rangarose for giving me your input. Your story Rocks and everyone should read it, AND REVIEW. Life Changes Sometimes by Rangarose.

I do not own VA but that which comes from my unstable mind I share with you.

P.S. My dad is scheduled to come home Monday

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Chapter 59: The Love of Family

**Rose POV**

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the eucalyptus tree outside my window. Pre-dawn light was just beginning to light the sky. My back was stiff from staying in the same position all night. I pried Theresa's small hand off of mine. After I pried Dimitri's hand out of her grip I carefully carried her back to her the room she shared with Ally.

I stood there watching her sleep. I couldn't help but smile at my firstborn. She looks so much like her father; her nose, and ears are his to a T. She may have my lips but her smile is his too. I felt him come into the room. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me from behind. He rested his head on mine.

"She looks so much like you Roza. She is so beautiful." He whispered.

"I was just thinking she looks like you Comrade. Hmm maybe we see what we want to see because we love each other so much."

"I am still so amazed that we made her. When I found myself falling in love with you I knew that I would have to be willing to give up any chance of having children so I could be with someone as incredible as you. When you and Adrian told me that I was a father, wow, I can't tell you how happy I was. Roza by giving me a child you gave me a reason to hold on while you found the cure to return me."

"Yeva once told me I give you life in many ways." He turned me so I was facing him.

"You do Roza; I want to make a baby with you again."

His lips met mine and he swept me up into his arms. Not once did his lips leave mine as he carried me back to our bed. We continued to kiss and caress as we slipped out of our pajamas. I love when he kisses my neck and ears. When we became one our movements were slow and tender. As we came he breathed my name like a prayer.

He rested his head on my breast and his leg was wrapped over mine. He ran his fingers over my belly. I fingered his hair, twirling a strand.

"Roza, do you think we made a baby this morning?"

"I don't know yet but if we didn't I don't want to worry about it yet. I think we need to try to just enjoy being together. When fate wants me to conceive I will and I will be the happiest woman on God's green earth to be able to give you another child."

He reached up and kissed me again. We lay in each other's arm for a while longer. My stomach growled and the smell of bacon and blueberry French toast hit me. Dimitri and I pulled apart and grabbed our robes. Just as we were about to go investigate we heard Emma call out knock, knock at our door.

**Emma POV**

I woke early, I could feel love and passion I knew that whatever was bothering mom and dad yesterday, they were still ok. Dimitri had told me that every relationship has bumps but that they would work things out. I was glad to feel the love and passion flow around. It means that even if they are having issues they still love each other. I decided to do something special for them. I put on my robe and hurried down to the kitchen.

We are leaving today but there is still food in the refrigerator. The grounds keeper that Auntie Lissa hired to care for the house when we are away is supposed to take whatever we don't consume home so that it doesn't go to waste. I pulled out the eggs bacon and two loaves of blueberry bread. I also pulled out two big cantaloupe and prosciutto.

I cut one and a half of the melons into bite sized chunks then with the last half I cut it into thin long slices and removed the edges the way mom taught me then I wrapped them with the prosciutto ham the way Uncle Chris taught me. (Mom teases him a lot about his obsession with bacon wrapped food but I know she loves his bacon wrapped meatloaf.)

Once the fruit was cut I took blueberry bread and cut it into one inch thick slices. I soaked the bread in an egg batter. I cooked up most of the French toast before I started the bacon because I know the bacon will wake the kids and I wanted the food ready when my brothers and sisters come down.

As I worked I thought about what it will be like to be a love wielder like mom. I can already feel some things happening to me already and I haven't even found my other half. Well to be honest with myself I am not sure of that. I am in love but it is not with someone I am supposed to love.

We kissed once and it felt so perfect but I know it was wrong. He looked so guilty when he pulled away from the kiss. We had one last sparing match on the last day of school. For the first time he succeeded in pinning me down. His whole body was on me holding me down. I could feel him from his legs up to his chest. I remember how his chest moved against mine as we both panted for air. He smiled at me triumphantly, but his smile changed ever so slightly. I bit my lip suddenly feeling nervous and fluttery inside. His eyes wondered to my lips and his head bent down to meet them.

At first he just pressed his lips to mine but for reasons I cannot explain I opened my mouth to taste his lips. I felt him shiver. His lips parted and before I knew it we were sharing a full on passionate kiss. My body began to react in ways I had only felt though my bond with Jasmine; when she was fooling around with a guy. I suddenly snapped out of it. I couldn't do this. If he is not the one and I give my heart to him I will never be a love wielder. He must have felt a change in me because he pulled away and jumped off of me.

Later that night, at the dance we talked about it. He knows that I can't give my heart to just anyone and he respects that. He knows how much it means to me that I get to be a Wielder of Life and Death. We have agreed to be friends. He left with his dad that night because his dad wanted to take him to Europe to see more of the Moroi world. I miss him but we have been texting each other a lot. He has been telling me about all the things he has done and seen.

Just as the bacon was done frying and the last of the blueberry French toast was cooked. I heard the footsteps of four little Dhampirs. I quickly served their plates with some French toast, bacon, and cut melon. I served some plates for mom and dad, but I put the prosciutto wrapped melon on their plates. I poured cold chocolate milk for everyone. I put mom and dad's food on a tray with the glasses of Chocolate milk and carefully took them upstairs.

I got to their door and called out a knock since my hands were both occupied. They both had their robes on.

"No you guys get breakfast in bed. Give me an hour, I will have the kids fed and dressed."

"Thank you sweetie, this is wonderful." Mom kissed my forehead first then dad did. He took the tray and smelled it appreciatively. I left the room quickly.

**Rose POV**

My little girl is a good cook. I think I am pretty good myself but she likes to be in the kitchen with anyone who will teach her anything. Sparky's got her wrapping food in bacon. I laughed when I saw the melon wrapped in Prosciutto. Dimitri and I fed each other, I know that it sounds so cliché but getting food from him is sexy. Once we finished our meal we snuggled on the bed for a while.

"What do you want to name our next baby?" He asked while running his hand up and down my arm.

"Dimitri, why not wait till we're pregnant again. I don't know how long it is going to take for me to get pregnant again and well I am afraid to think about it too much. I want so much to give you more children."

I hadn't realized that I was crying till he wiped my tears away. Before I knew it we were both crying. We held each other for a while longer. Before we got up to get ready for our day Dimitri started to kiss my neck.

"Um Comrade, lets hit the shower first. It is hot and I am really feeling sweaty."

He chuckled into my neck kissed me once more then pulled me up with him. Once we got into the shower I began kissing him and before I knew it my back was pressed against the wall. I wrapped my legs around Dimitri and he held my bottom he was kissing me everywhere as we made love.

I wanted to feel even closer to him so I inclined my neck. His kisses soon wandered to curve of my neck. He kissed and nipped sending me shivers up and down my spine. Our movements increased in speed. I was beyond speech so I placed my hand at the base of his neck holding him there hoping he would know what I needed. As our passion began to reach its summit I felt his fangs slide in. I have never felt anything as glorious as making love to my husband in both physical and emotional forms at the same time. It was so beautiful that I almost cried. I think this made Dimitri feel awkward. He wouldn't look me in the eye. He reminded me that we had to hurry to meet up with Lissa and Christian.

**Dimitri POV **

Rose kissed me and her naked body pressed against mine, that was all it took for me to want her again. I pressed her back against the wall and caressed her soft skin along her sides and her breasts. She wrapped her legs around me and I could hold back no longer. I kissed her lips her neck her ears. Her hand wound around the hair at the base of my neck gently pulling while yet holding me in place. She tilted her head to the side giving me full access to her shoulder, neck, and that special place behind her ears.

I was so close to my climax when the rich sweet smell of her blood filled my senses. She must have started her cycle. Before I could think of what I was doing my kisses on her neck went from normal passion to needy. My fangs lengthened and slid in. Her blood filled my mouth and I was in complete ecstasy. I didn't suck as I would when feeding. Simply letting her own body pump her blood into me was enough to bring me to full climax. Her body arched and quivered in unison with mine.

As the last wave of our combined orgasm subsided and our breathing began to go back to normal, I realized what I had just done. Oh my God, I just did it again and with no valid excuse. Last time I had used too much spirit and I needed blood. Neither Rose nor I had seen beyond the fact that we were making love at the time; she only acted in my best interest. She is the most forgiving person I know. She was a little upset the next morning but the way she has been acting since tells me that she has forgiven me.

I just hope she can forgive me this time. When I smelled her blood something came over me and I acted without thinking. I am no better than Nathan. My mother at least chose to allow him to bite her during sex. She knew what she was getting into but I am sure this is not what Rose dreamed of when she thought of our lives together.

I pulled away from her and set her back down. I reminded her that we need to get ready to meet with Lissa. I couldn't look her in the face. We washed up and while I packed our things Rose packed the little kids bags. We zipped around the house making sure everything was put away, cleaned up and or packed, as the case may be.

I could feel Emma watching us out of the corner of her eyes as she played candy land with her little brothers and sisters. Rose kept stopping me for kisses and caresses. She is so loving and forgiving. I try to set my guilt aside and return her affection. After a while Emma put a movie on for the kids and asked if she could talk privately with me.

Somehow I knew that I didn't want to have this conversation with my daughter. We went to the study and she closed the door behind her.

"Ok I don't really want to ask and I am sure you don't want to talk with me about this because even though I am only twelve years younger than you, you think of me as your daughter and I think of you as my dad. I want you to keep in mind that like mom I have already seen and experienced more in my life than most people twice my age." She took a deep breath. "Dad what is wrong with you and Mom? The other day she was all weepy and you looked all guilty. This morning when I woke up and after I brought you breakfast the both of you were fine and the love was flowing all over the house like mad. Now mom is all happy and content as I would expect but you look totally guilty again."

"Regardless of your age and your life experience this isn't a conversation I should be having with you. You are my daughter; and some things between your mother and I are too intimate to share with you."

"Something's wrong. I can feel it and so can the little ones. Theresa can't express her fears but she is more attuned to relationships because she is a wielder of love like mom. Just because we haven't grown into our full potential doesn't mean that we don't have some things happening already."

"Emma I have told you that we will work through it."

"Have you talked to her about it? Or have you sought advice from someone else? Whatever is going on with you two is getting worse."

"I can't talk to anyone else about it. But I promise we will be fine. We are bonded we aren't going to spit up." She looked away for a moment when she turned back to me she had a look of such seriousness. At this moment I felt as if she was years older than she really is.

"Dimitri, Bonds can be weakened and fractured. If they are damaged enough they can be broken or transferred. I am living proof of that."

"No, that won't happen with me and my Roza. It can't, I won't let that happen."

"Then dad, you need to talk to her."

"I can't, I can't face discussing this with her."

"Why not, isn't she involved in this marriage as much as you are? Maybe you should talk to Daddy Adrian. He knows both of you more than anyone else in this world. He might have insight into mom's head that you don't"

"I am not going to talk to him about our intimate life."

"He would know more about her intimate side than you do dad. We was Married to her for three and a half years and they were intimate at least that long."

"I am not going to rub it in his face that I can have that kind of relationship with her."

"He loves both of you and wants you to be happy together. I asked him once how he felt about the fact that he could not be physical with her. He told me that she loved him so thoroughly when he was alive and he was content in his relationship with her when he died. In the spiritual realm he has no need or desire for sex."

"Why would you ask him that?"

"I was curious. So I asked. But back to what we were talking about. You need to talk to him if you can't talk to her. You need to fix this before it is too late. By the way do you know if Nathan has any other sons hiding in the woodwork?" Emma got up and left the room leaving me in my own thoughts.

~o~O~o~

Rose POV

Dimitri has been quiet all morning. He has been affectionate but I can tell something is bugging him. I won't get a chance to talk to him in private for a while. We all waited in the small lobby for the Royal Jet to make its landing. Dimitri read a story to the kids keeping them quiet and occupied. Emma seemed content to text with Ben.

I decided to go into Lissa's head to see how she is doing. Though my walls were not up she was so lost in her own thought that she didn't feel me with her. She was having an inner tirade with herself. She was thinking about her reasons for keeping her sibling search from me. To her it had been as she puts it Her Dimitri. Listening to her think about it I can understand why she felt this way though it still hurt.

Then she began to think about how important her family was to me. What surprised me was that I was just as important to them. Mom never told me that they wanted to adopt me. I love my parents and now I am glad that they didn't adopt me but when I was 10 yrs old nothing would have made me happier. Lissa really, honestly wants me to join her when she talks to Jill. I will be there for my sisters; she won't even have to ask.

I pulled out of her head when she began to feel queasy. I ran for the ladies room with my hand over my mouth. I hate morning sickness; the fact that this isn't even mine really sucks. I know I am not pregnant because I started my period this morning and also well, I don't feel pregnant.

I rinsed my mouth out as Dimitri came in. The look of joyful hope in his eyes crushed me. I know how much he wants another baby. He loves Emma, Xander, Addy and Ally like his own but I know that there is something special about knowing that you also have a biological connection to your child. It doesn't make you love them more, but it is special.

"I was checking in on Lissa, she is having really bad morning sickness." His face fell slightly.

"Oh, I was hoping that we….."

I held him tightly in my arms. He rested his head on mine.

"It's in God's hands, Comrade. It will happen when he wants it to."

When we walked back out to the Lobby Emma gave me a questioning look. I had gone to her this morning for pad's (she, like me at her age, doesn't use tampons because she doesn't want anything going there till she decides to give herself to the husband of her heart.) She knows I shouldn't be having a period if I am pregnant but she also knows that I will throw up when I am. (Emma and I have a close relationship and I am open and honest with her on many subjects.) I shook my head at her and spoke to her with my mind.

["Bond, Lissa is feeling morning sickness."] She gave me a look of understanding.

I could hear Lissa's plane landing. Dimitri and I did another visual sweep around the aria. We followed protocol and informed Eddie that all was clear. He opened the door and looked out with his take in hand, covered by his uniform blazer of course. When he felt secure that all was safe he allowed Lissa and Chris to disembark.

Both of them came running up to me hugging me and apologizing profusely. After first explaining to Lissa that I had been with her through her last inner rant I understand perfectly well that all is forgiven. I told her that I would be happy to join her on the search for our little sister. She hugged me so hard you would have thought she was Dhampir.

I then turned to Christian and slapped him on the back of his head, not hard just enough to get my point across.

"I love ya brother but from now on you keep your comments to yourself unless you know for sure we are in private." I then gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I was shocked when I pulled away and saw tears in his eyes. "Did I hurt you Chris I didn't mean to hit that hard?"

"No it's just that I can't believe how nice you are being about this. Rose I am so sorry for humiliating you like that."

"You can be a bit stupid sometimes but I can forgive you as long as you learn your lesson."

He gave me another hug.

~o~O~o~

It was hard watching the kids leave without us. I have to admit that I was in tears as the plane took off and I watched till it disappeared from sight. Lissa had opened herself to my feelings and we ended up crying together, her pregnancy hormones making her even more emotional than normal. I know that they are safe in the care of Helen, Ivan and Arthur.

Arthur loves the kids he is like a grandfather to them. Though Dimitri and I don't need personal guardians and our children being Dhampirs we should have allowed the counsel to reassign him but when he asked if he could stay on and guard our children Dimitri and I couldn't say no. This man had been the first real father figure that Adrian had. He taught Adrian that men do not need to be cruel. He gave him the tools to be a good and loving husband and father. I think that the fact that Arthur loved Adrian as a son even though he was in no way related, taught Adrian that blood doesn't matter it is the love that does. Yes he was thrilled to have a child of his own when I had Xander but he loved Dimitri's child like his own from the moment he realized that I was carrying her.

We went to lunch together while we waited for the smaller jet we hired. Lissa and I insisted on doing some shopping at Target. She wanted to look around and with Lissa that means she is going to buy something. Eddie and Johannes were far guard and I was near. I felt sorry for them. I am sure that they would rather be with Christian, Nicolai and Dimitri. She ended up picking up some baby toys and other odds and ends. I insisted that she buy some Ginger ale and crackers. The last thing I want to do is deal with her morning sickness. When I went to the feminine products to buy tampons she was shocked.

"Rose, I would have thought that you were already… you know, in the family way?" I shrugged my shoulders as if it didn't bother me but I know she could feel through the bond that it was really bothering me. She gave me a reassuring smile and I could feel her trying to heal me through the bond.

We found the guys in electronics playing with an Xbox 360 and kinects. I could see them trying to find a way to convince Lissa and me that it would be a good thing to have. Eddie and Johannes joined them. Nicolai stood by looking like he wanted to play too. Lissa and I both don't like video games for the kids. During our two years out in the world we saw plenty of the kids our age that did nothing but play games. And the fact that a few of the older brothers of some of the friends we made did nothing useful made us dislike them.

In the academies video games are something that you can only do once in a while. You have to book time in the lounge because TVs are not allowed in the Dorms. Each student is only allotted so much time. Most kids chose to use the lounge time for movie nights. To be honest Lissa and I have looked into getting one only because with the kinects the games are more physical and during long winter days it could come in handy if it is not abused. Christian's birthday is coming up in September and Lissa already bought one for him.

"Come on boys, play time is over; it's time to leave the toys for the other kids." Lissa said in her Mom voice.

"But Liss I want to show you how it works." I had to stifle a laugh at Christian's expression.

"You know how we feel about mindless games. Come on now." She said firmly as she and I walked towards the registers. I heard them shuffle along after us. I almost burst out laughing when I heard Dimitri grumble to Christian.

"I told you they'd say no." Lissa hid her laughter with a cough.

We turned in the rental car and boarded our flight. I noticed that Lissa seemed really tired and pale. We had not been in the sun that much so that couldn't be why she was so weak.

"Lissa honey, did you go to see Alice this morning?"

"Yeah Rose, I did. Alice's not feeling well because of the summer heat and the mugginess and it made her blood taste funny. Chris said she tasted fine but well with the morning sickness and all I couldn't keep it down. I talked to Ambrose about finding another feeder and he said he is going to look for someone young, healthy and who hasn't been doing drugs too long. I hate that we get feeders from rehab clinic washouts."

"Liss, why didn't you say something to me earlier?"

I motioned for her to scoot over on the plush seat. I kissed Dimitri on the head and moved to sit next to her. I could feel the eyes of both men watching as I tilted my neck for her. The other guardian's were polite enough to do the see without seeing thing. Already the love I have for my sister swirled around the plane's cabin. She whispered thank you to me before sinking her fangs in. Years ago her bite would be accompanied by the endorphin high. Now there is no high but I feel good knowing that I have done something to help someone I love. I sent her healing love hoping that it would give her strength and help with the morning sickness. When she took what she needed she hugged me and healed the bite.

I moved back to my place on Dimitri's lap. He wrapped me in his arms I fell asleep to the feeling of one of his hands over my unoccupied belly and the other hand gently caressing my jugular vein.

* * *

**POP QUIZ**

1. Do you think Emma and Ben will be able to refrain from kissing again when he comes home from Europe? Do you think that if they begin to date others would accept it?

2. Why do you think Dimitri has such a strong reaction to Rose's blood?

3. What do you think Dimitri will do to remedy the issue of wanting to bite Rose during passionate moments?

4. Do you think is was right of Emma to confront her father? In the long run will her advice help?

5. Did you notice that when she was talking about the frailty of bonds, she called Dimitri by his name instead of Dad? Why do you think she did that?

6. We almost never see the playful side of Dimitri. How did you like the scene with Him and the other 'Boys' drooling over the Xbox? My best friend said she has had the same conversation with her ex.

7. How do you think Dimitri felt about Rose feeding Lissa?

Ok class. Please pass your tests back by pressing the Review Button. I will back you some virtual Chocolate chip Cookies and serve them with virtual vanilla ice cream if I get a lot of reviews. And if I don't get a lot of reviews I will still do it because **I love you all for reading.**

Suzanna


	60. This is an Author's Note

February 24, 2011

Hello All. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I recently had some major computer issues. I think that my computer has been fixed but unfortunately all my files were deleted in the process of fixing what was wrong.

I lost:

Chapter 60: of So What Now. And I was almost done.

Half of Chapter 12 of, The Truth Gets In the Way

Half of Chapter 2 of, What Happened to Rose.

And the killer is that I lost Chapter 10 – 17 of She Called Him Comrade.

Plus I had 60 plus pages of a new story I was working on.

Long story short It is going to take me some time to catch up to where I was. I will try to get some chapters up soon and I am so sorry to you all that I didn't back up my work often enough.

Suzanna


	61. What Is Sisterhood?

April 10, 2011  
I am truly sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to posting anything for this story. Thank you to aeireis who is responsible for giving me a guardian style kick in the ass. I have my reasons but in the end none of that matters. This was a hard chapter for me to write because I am not good at confronting people and I knew that Jill and Lissa were going to have a confrontation of sorts.

Thank you to my beta Rangarose. Her story Life Changes Sometimes has been getting really juicy so if you are not reading it yet you are missing out. She is also much better about posting regularly and won't leave you hanging the way I have.

Please Read the AN at the end of the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 60: What Is Sisterhood?**

**Dimitri POV**

I held my Roza in my lap as she napped. I laid one hand on her belly thinking of how much I want her to carry my child. She is so beautiful when she is pregnant, and I want to be with her this time from conception to birth. She is such a loving and giving person; that is what makes her such a good wife, mother and friend.

I had the other hand resting in the crook of her neck, caressing her. Under my fingers I could feel her pulse as well as the blood that flowed within. It never occurred to me that Rose would be so willing to feed Lissa but I guess I should not be surprised.

Emma's words of warning this morning really bothered me. I love my Roza and if anything I did ever ruin the bond that we have I would want to die. Emma's last statement in our conversation really struck a nerve. "Do you know if Nathan has any more sons hiding in the woodwork?" The truth is I don't know. Prior to being introduced to Ben I thought Adrian and I were his only sons. I never thought he would have more than two families. Now I don't know what to think.

It hadn't taken me long to understand why she asked me that. According to both Yeva and Viktor Dashkov, Rose was able to conceive children with Adrian because the bond between us was fractured the moment I was turned. It was fractured but not broken. Adrian being my brother was genetically similar enough to me that she was able to have his children. Now that Adrian is gone I should be the only one she is compatible with genetically. But if there are other brothers out there, then there is a chance that if our bond was broken and she fell out of love with me she might still be able to have the rest of the children she needs to have.

I wonder if the state of our bond is the reason she hasn't become pregnant yet. What if it is already broken, could it be reformed? Oh God I pray that we can fix this. Emma is right I have to ask for help but from whom. I still don't want to bring up the subject with Roza and I really don't want to talk to Adrian about this. But I think I know who is the perfect person who would understand; my Mother. Momma never called herself a bloodwhore because she didn't sleep around with other men. She loved Nathan Ivashkov and he was the only man with whom she shared intimacies. He fed from her this I know because she bore his bite marks whenever he came to visit.

I closed my eyes and nestled my nose in her hair. Her hair smells of fruit and coconut but beyond that is her personal scent. I opened up my senses and took everything in. By the smell of her blood she is healthy. I could detect the soft smell of her breast milk; the smell of which caused a reaction in me. Her strong heart was beating in a relaxed rhythm. I could feel slight movements in her stomach telling me she would soon be hungry. The plane began to descend and I could hear a Guardian move down the aisle towards us.

"Dimitri, Rose, wake up. It is almost time to land. Rose you need to get in your own seat and buckle up." Eddie whispered. I pretended to wake up. Rose just snuggled closer to me in her sleep.

"Roza, my sweet, you need to get buckled into your seat. We are about to land." I whispered into her hair as I took a last whiff of her tantalizing scent.

"No." I felt her smile into my chest and inhale. God sometimes we are so alike. I stood with her still in my arms and placed her in the seat next to me. She responded by wrapping her arms around my neck as I leaned down and buckled her in myself. She pulled me in for a soft sensual kiss.

"Get a room!"

"Christian, leave them alone, this is still supposed to be their honeymoon and they have been nice enough to let us invade it for my own issues, twice."

With one last peck Rose let me go so I could buckle up.

"Liss its Ok I will get my revenge on fire crotch soon enough." Rose giggled deviously.

Before long we had landed and rented another SUV. It was 10 AM and the Arizona sun was already hot; thank heaven for air conditioning. We followed the GPS to the address that Sonya Karp had given to us only to find a Mail center. I pulled over into a park so that Rose could summon Miss Karp. Very soon Rose began talking to her.

"Do you have any other addresses for them?... Didn't you ever visit them?... Oh, ok… I have a thought that might work, but see if you can find a family ghost to ask."

Rose got back into the SUV and bit her lip before talking.

"The mail center is the only address she has for them. After Jill started to attend St. Vlads they went there for visits or they would go to her summer home in Virginia. They don't live in the same house that they had before Jill started school. I think that if we go back to the mail center we might be able to convince them to show us the records." She looked over at Lissa when she said convince; compulse would be the more appropriate word. I pulled out of the park and drove back to the Mail center.

I entered first and looked around at some post cards while scanning for a security camera. There was no camera nor was there anyone behind the counter. A card caught my eye. It was a painting of an Indian maiden soaring in the night sky. On her neck she wore the full moon as a pendant. Down below her were ten wolves howling in her direction. The more I looked at it, the more I saw the little details. Her hair was braided and there were silver chains braided into it. On her wrists and ankles she wore silver cuffs. I heard some shuffling behind the counter and from the corner of my eye I saw a teenage boy.

"Uh can I help you man?"

"Yes I would like to buy this post card. Can you tell me who the artist is?"

"Its two bucks for the card. The guy who makes them is some Indian from Yuma. He has a thing for her. Almost all his paintings are of her. We have more over here if you want to look at them." He left the counter just as Rose and Lissa walked in chatting about some sexy lingerie that Rose saw when we were shopping the other day.

"Uh, Dude, I am gonna go help these ladies. Let me know if you need anything." He walked away before I could respond. Oh Roza, I know what she was doing; getting the kid's attention and trying to get a rise out of me. Bad girl, it worked.

"Hello Ladies, I'm Mike, how can I help you?" Poor kid fell right into their trap. By the end of his sentence I could hear the thrall of compulsion in his voice.

"Mike I want you to look in your files for John or Emily Mastrano. Give them to me."

"OK." The boy nodded and smiled stupidly at Lissa before going back to a small file cabinet. He riffled through it before coming back with a thin file. Lissa and Rose looked through it. From the way that the top of their auras lit up I could tell they were talking through the bond. Suddenly Rose lit bright yellow with Lissa following right after. Rose wrote something in her leather bound notebook.

"Thank you Mike, now if you would please put the file away and forget we were here. Go back to helping the man over there." She pointed to me before leaving the store. Mike put the file away then came back to me and started talking as if he never left.

"This is my favorite one. It's called the Goddess and her spirits." He showed me a postcard of the same maiden but this time her hair was flowing behind her and she wore no other jewelry other than the moon pendant. In her left hand perched on her ring finger was a white dove and flying just above her right shoulder was another white dove. Again the pack of wolves was surrounding her.

"I'll take a copy of each one you have." He pulled out five cards and walked to the register.

"That is a total of six cards plus sales tax is twelve seventy nine."

"Here, keep the change." I pulled out a twenty and gave it to him. I would have put my bag in my duster pocket but it is so damn hot I left it in the car. By the time I got back to the car Rose was just finishing with the GPS and she didn't notice me rummaging around my duster.

According to the GPS it was an hour's drive to the Mastrano home. It was already close to noon and looking at Lissa and Christian through the rear view I could see how weary they were. Even with the tinted windows they had already been exposed to a lot of sun and heat. I could feel Rose sending healing love to them.

"Roza?" I whispered so quietly even the vampires sitting just behind us couldn't hear. She turned to me and through the corner of my eye I could see she agreed with me.

"Hey Liss, what if the Mastranos live on a nocturnal schedule or even a semi diurnal schedule. If we go now we might be disturbing their sleep. How about we wait it out at a hotel and leave at 7. We could be there by 8pm which is not too early if they are nocturnal and not too late if they are diurnal. Besides I think your baby wants you to rest."

"I guess your right Rose."

I pulled into the first motel I saw, it wasn't fancy but it would serve the purpose for a few hours rest. We got two rooms with two queen sized beds in each. It was decided that three guardians would take a nap too. This way they would be refreshed and ready to fight tonight. Eddie and Johannes chose to stay awake while Nicolai, Rose and I napped.

I checked my phone for messages and found one text from Emma.

[Dad, I asked Ben to ask Grandpa how many kids he has and what ages. You have 6 brothers and 2 more sisters. All together he has 12 children. The boys ages are 30, 27(you) 24(Adrian) 21, 16(Ben) 1yr. The girls are 29(Karolena) 28(Sonya) 19(Victoria) 7 and 4ys. 30 is not too old and 21 not too young. Please FIX THIS!]

Holy Crap I need to talk to my momma. I hope she is asleep so I can dream walk with her.

Rose didn't kiss me because Nicolai was on the other bed but she snuggled against my chest and wrapped her arm around me. I held her close to me knowing that if I don't figure this out soon I may not be able to call her MY ROZA for long. I closed my eyes and searched for my mom.

**~~*~o~*~~**

**Rose POV**

I spent my entire nap time dream walking with Lissa trying to keep her calm. She is anxious about meeting with Jill. Neither of us has seen Jill since we graduated. Lissa had not been very nice to her after Jill told Chris about the kiss with her ex, Aaron. First it was because Lissa was mad about her snitching which had been one of the reasons Chris had broken up with her at the time. Then there was jealousy because she and Chris would practice Offensive magic together, Avery planted seeds of suspicion in her head that never really went away till the night of my wedding when Christian and Lissa really started to talk again. Lissa was worried if Jill would even be willing to speak to her; to be honest so was I.

At 6:30 pm we woke up and set out to get a quick dinner before heading to the Mastrano home. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Dinner went by quietly and the ride was silent except for Dimitri's 80s music coming softly from the radio. It was 7:43 when we reached the house. It was big but not huge. There were wind chimes and sun catchers on the porch. In the garden there were lots of desert plants and flowers.

Dimitri and I stood closest to the door with Christian and Lissa behind us, Nicolai next to Lissa and Eddie and Johannes at the rear. We rang the bell waiting only a short time before the door was opened by a Dhampir. He looked us over and quickly he went to his knee. Through the bond I could feel Lissa blush, she hated this part of being Queen.

"You're Highness." He breathed.

"Rise Guardian." She nudged me slightly and I moved out of her way. She offered the Guardian her hand. With wide eyes he took it and stood at attention. "I would ask you to call me Lissa but I already know you won't, but please at least tell me your name so that I may call you something more than just Guardian."

"Carl Carter, You're Highness. Please, wait in the sitting room, while I inform the lady of the house that you have graced us with you presence." He led us to a spacious room with lots of seating and a large fireplace. Then Dimitri and the others went to stand against the walls as Lissa and I sat. Emily Mastrano walked in and gave a bow to Lissa before she sat across from us.

"Hello you're Highness, welcome to our home. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to speak to you about Jill and her paternity."

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to come looking for her. She knows who her biological father was and who her sister is. She met her father a few times and he told her about you and how much he wished you could know each other. He used to tell her how kind and loving you were. I was the one who explained to her that it would hurt you to know of her existence, so she promised me she would never tell you. I figured that you would come looking for her sooner or later so that she could fill the Quorum."

"I only just found out of her existence a few weeks ago and it has taken me this long to learn her Identity. I don't need her for the Quorum, but I would like to get to know my sister. Could you tell me where she is?"

"She is home for summer before starting school at Lehigh in the fall. I will go tell her that you are here."

Emily left the room and I could feel Lissa watching her, evaluating her with the eyes of a daughter who wonders what it was that drew her father to stray from her mother. She sighed audibly and tried to focus not on her father's infidelity but on finding a relationship with her sister. I reached out for her hand and sent her strength. We were quiet while we waited for Jill. I think it took Emily a while before she could convince Jill to come down.

Fifteen minutes later Jill walked into the room. She looked around at the Guardians standing against the wall and smiled in Eddie's and Dimitri's direction. She then looked at me and Christian she gave me a nod and pursed her lips and frowned at Chris before finally letting her gaze fall on Lissa.

"What do you want?" Her voice was cold.

"It has recently come to my attention that I have a sister and I came here hoping to start to get to know her." I could feel the sincerity in both Lissa's voice and through the bond.

"Four years ago you wanted nothing to do with me. You were rude to me after I pointed out your infidelity. And you forced your friends to stop talking to me. Now you want me to run to you with open arms and call you sister?"

"I am sorry for the way I behaved towards you back then but I never told anyone to stop talking to you…" Chris interrupted Lissa mid-sentence.

"Jill, I am sorry if I hurt you when I ended our friendship. It was my choice not Lissa's in fact she never even knew I did it till a few days ago. I missed her and I wanted her back; I didn't want to give her any reason to think she wasn't the only woman in my heart. I know that Avery planted a lot of Ideas in her head about us. Again I am sorry that I hurt you."

"Chris it doesn't matter if she didn't make you. You still did it because of her. Eddie, Rose and Mia were always nice to me but you were my friend."

"Jill, you know I can read Lissa's emotions. Everything she did back then was because of Avery's influence. Avery even had her close to killing herself. Lissa wants to get to know her sister."

"She is right Jill. I want you to know I am not looking for you because I need you, I have recently found you because I was going through the Dragomir vaults trying to find the family funds for a Dragomir family that has been in hiding for the last 20 yrs. I have my children and our found kin to more then fill the Quorum. I want to get to know you because you are my sister."

"What do you need me for? Lissa it looks like you have a perfectly good sister in Rose."

"I am her sister in all other ways but blood. You are her only tie to her father just like she is your only tie to him as well." I got an idea. "Take my hand please."

I grabbed hold of her hand but I didn't use force. My other hand was still being held by Lissa. Through the bond I told Lissa to think about Jill and all the feelings she has had about her lost sibling. I used myself as a conduit for Lissa's emotions. Everything was there from the hurt and betrayal she felt when she learned that her father had been unfaithful to her mom; to the curiosity and love she felt for this sibling she didn't know, to the shame she felt for having treated Jill unkindly.

Not wanting to freak Jill out more than I knew I already was, I used my voice to ask her to think of how she feels for Lissa. I could see vague images of her memories. She felt excited beyond belief when I introduced her to Lissa. Then there was the disappointment of learning her big sister was not the wonderful person their father made her out to be. Then she shared her grief when Christian told her they couldn't be friends anymore. Throughout it all there was an undercurrent of longing.

"See you both still want to know each other. How about you spend a week with us at our home before school starts? If you don't want anyone to know you are her sister we can just say that you are our friend."

"OK but if I don't like it; I am moving in to a hotel till school starts."

"Good then we will send a guardian to come get you in a few weeks."

We didn't stay much longer but I could tell that Lissa and Jill both felt relieved that some progress was made.

Dimitri and I drove the others back to the air strip in Hyden before heading to visit a friend of Dimitri's in Yuma.

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Just so you guys know Dimitri is not going anywhere and nether is Rose. Its just a little drama. I am committed to this being a Rose/Dimitri Story

Pop Quiz

1. What is it that Dimitri sees in the paintings on the post cards?

2. Dimitri suspects that Rose isn't pregnant yet because the bond is ether still fractured or possibly broken. Do you think this is the reason?

3. Is the bond still fractured or is it already broken?

4. Do you think that Lissa and Jill will be able to build a relationship?

Please review so that I know I haven't lost you.

Suzanna


	62. Everything I do, I do It for you

April 15, 2011

Hello all I hope you like this chapter it came out extra-long and almost ended up even longer. There isn't a lot of action going on but this stuff was still very important. Next chapter we will be meeting Dimitri's friends and finding out about the mysterious cards; that seem to depict Rose. This chapter is not edited by my beta because I was too impatient to post. You should read her story Life changes Sometimes. By Rangarose.

* * *

**Chapter 61: Everything I do, I do it for you.**

**Rose POV**

Dimitri and I drove in a comfortable silence. I love this about us. I know something has been bothering him lately and I really want to ask him what it is and I will but not yet. I have the feeling that he has been having an internal struggle over something but I don't know what. Thing about internal struggles is that sometimes we need to work through them on our own. I will give him a few more days and if he hasn't worked it out then I will press him. In the meantime I plan on letting him know that I love him and I am there for him.

I turned on the radio and found a station that sounded like it might be right up Dimitri's ally. It was playing some sappy love song from the 80's. After that song, came another sappy love song then another. They were not all 80's but Dimitri seemed to know the words to most of the song. We spent most of the drive from Hyden to Yuma with Dimitri singing to me and every once in a while a song came on that he really felt a connection with and I could hear the slight change of his voice as he sang to me. One song in particular almost made me cry, it was slow and just as sappy as the rest but I could feel the love with every word. His voice was sweet and smooth; his accent was thick with emotion.

_If I had to live my life without you near me__  
__The days would all be empty__  
__The nights would seem so long__  
__With you I see forever, oh, so clearly__  
__I might have been in love before__  
__But it never felt this strong_

_Our dreams are young and we both know__  
__They'll take us where we want to go__  
__Hold me now, touch me now__  
__I don't want to live without you_

_Nothing's gonna change my love for you__  
__You oughta know by now how much I love you__  
__One thing you can be sure of__  
__I'll never ask for more than your love_

_Nothing's gonna change my love for you__  
__You oughta know by now how much I love you__  
__The world may change my whole life through__  
__But nothing's gonna change my love for you_

_If the road ahead is not so easy__  
__Our love will lead the way for us__  
__Like a guiding star__  
__I'll be there for you if you should need me__  
__You don't have to change a thing__  
__I love you just the way you are_

_So come with me and share the view__  
__I'll help you see forever too__  
__Hold me now, touch me now__  
__I don't want to live without you_

_Nothing's gonna change my love for you__  
__You oughta know by now how much I love you__  
__One thing you can be sure of__  
__I'll never ask for more than your love_

_Nothing's gonna change my love for you__  
__You oughta know by now how much I love you__  
__The world may change my whole life through__  
__But nothing's gonna change my love for you_.

I reached out for his hand and kissed it. We continued our drive singing and holding hands when we could. I know if we go off-roading we would need the stick shift but right now I wish the SUV was an automatic so we wouldn't have to let go of each other's hands. I sang when I knew the song and if I didn't I just enjoyed Dimitri's voice.

A little while later a song came on that I knew well, it was from some movie that came out the year I was born. Mom and dad had some weird connection to this song. (I think it also had to do with a date but I really don't want to know if I was conceived on this particular date.) Lissa, Mia and I also like the movie; it was Robin Hood. The song made me think about Dimitri and whatever has been bothering him; and how whatever this was has been leaking into our marriage. I decided that the song was a good way for me to show him how I feel without being intrusive.

_Look into my eyes - you will see__  
__What you mean to me__  
__Search your heart - search your soul__  
__And when you find me there you'll search no more_

_Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for__  
__You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for__  
__You know it's true__  
__Everything I do - I do it for you_

_Look into your heart - you will find__  
__There's nothin' there to hide__  
__Take me as I am - take my life__  
__I would give it all - I would sacrifice_

_Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for__  
__I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more__  
__Ya know it's true__  
__Everything I do - I do it for you_

_There's no love - like your love__  
__And no other - could give more love__  
__There's nowhere - unless you're there__  
__All the time - all the way_

_Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for__  
__I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more__  
__I would fight for you - I'd lie for you__  
__Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you_

_Ya know it's true__  
__Everything I do - I do it for you_

I had been looking at him the whole time and thought I knew he was watching the road I could tell he was also watching me thought his periphery. I had my whole attention focused on him and I didn't realize he had pulled over to the side of the road till he put the car in park.

"YA lyublyu tebya Roza." He cupped my face with his gentle callused hands and kissed me with sweet passion. (I love you Roza.)

"YA tozhe lyublyu tebya , tovarishch." He laughed when I said Comrade in Russian. He kissed me again passionately then pulled back and leaned his forehead against mine. (I love you too, Comrade.)

"Oh Roza, how did I get so lucky to have you for a wife. Your Russian has improved greatly by the way." He kissed me again but this was a sweet peck on the lips before putting the car in gear and pulling back on the road. We continued on driving and enjoying our time alone.

Before I knew it the five hour drive was over and we were driving into a hotel not far from the highway. I had to admit I was actually very tired after such a long day. The man at the front desk was kinda cute but he had nothing on my Russian Demi-God. He gave me the once over that so many men do but the way Dimitri put his arm around me, gave the guy a warning. I coughed to cover my laugh and whispered so quietly even a Moroi would have trouble hearing.

"I am all yours comrade. No need to scare a human, there is no way he or anyone else can compare to you." He kissed me lightly before renting the room. I had to smile at the fact that the guy didn't glance at me again but kept his eyes on Dimitri the whole time.

"Roza, I'm starving. Could you get us a table at the Denny's over there, while I take our bags to the room?" The desert heat had taken my hunger away or so I thought. At the mere mention of food, my stomach grumbled loudly. Dimitri smirked but didn't say anything.

"Sure, do you want me to order for you so it will be ready faster?" He nodded and gave me a huge smile. We walked out together but I crossed the parking lot to the restaurant and he went to the car.

Fine dining, this definitely was not; but what could you ask for three AM. I was quickly seated and given a menu and for this my hungry tummy was thankful. I ordered an Ice tea and salads for both of us before even looking at the menu. Since it is already three, I decided to get us some breakfast. I got a French toast slam and I ordered Dimitri a Meat lovers slam.

I remember going to Denny's with Lissa when we were on the run. Seems like you can always find one when you're hungry; and they are open all night 7 days a week, which is good when you are nocturnal. Dimitri came in just as the salad was arriving.

We ate and talked for another hour before going to our room. The meal had energized me somewhat and during our shower together I wanted to fool around. Sex was out of course because of me being on my period, but that doesn't mean we can't make out like teenagers.

We kissed and caressed each other for quite some time before I tilted my head and offered him my neck. He took his time teasing me with nibbles and grazing his fangs against my skin. When he finally sank his fangs into me I moaned with pleasure. I smiled when I heard his voice moaning along with me. Love wrapped us like a ribbon and the physical sensation that accompanies our feedings pulsed through our bodies.

When we were done with the feeding we continued to kiss and caress. I had to giggle when I heard moaning and sound of making love coming from the next room. With our Dhampir hearing we could easily hear what humans couldn't so even though they couple wasn't loud it still came though clear.

"Oops, I think we may have woken them up with my wielding love like that."

"Yeah, but that is one heck of a way to wake up. I am guessing they don't mind a bit, and from the sounds of it I think I am right."

"I would have to agree with you on that. Now back to what we were doing."

By the time we finally fell asleep in each other's arms, the sky was just starting to lighten up. We slept till about 2pm I was thankful for the air conditioning because outside it was well over a hundred degrees of dry heat. Dimitri gave his friend a call and asked what time we should come by. They agreed on 7 pm because it should be much cooler by then.

We braved the heat to run out to Denny's again for a late breakfast this time ordering off the lunch menu. I know that I was upset about having to be away from home for a month but I am now grateful for the time to spend with Dimitri. The more time I spend with him the more I understand why were bonded. Though we may have seemed to be such opposites, the truth is that we are very similar in many ways like our core values and beliefs. And the ways that we do differ seem to complement each other.

A few hours later we took a swim in the pool and even played a game of tag and dunk. It was fun despite the other people we had to share the pool with. We got back to the room and showered together. I couldn't help myself when I saw Dimitri's body, it has been almost two days since we physically made love and I had to have him. I took the washcloth and poured some of our body wash on it and washed him down while kissing him here and there. He growled deeply. I knew he was going to tease me and try to hold out but in the end I was going to have my way.

**~~*O*~~ Gooey Chocolate Fudge Sunday~~*O*~~**

He first washed my back while I embraced him kissing him passionately. He turned me around so that my back side was pressed against his. I made sure to brush up against his growing member, enjoying the feel of it against me. I reached behind me and pulled his hips closer pressing us together tighter. With a primal growl he pressed back and walked us to the shower wall. I turned wrapped my legs around his hips. I took hold of his bottom lip with mine as he lifted me by my bottom and pressed into me finally making us one. I love the taste of his mouth, if I could survive on his kisses alone I would.

We made love slowly and gently. His lips never left my mouth and face as he would tenderly kiss my cheeks and nose whenever we needed air. I longed for his bite but since we had just fed last night I wouldn't expect him to need blood just yet. I felt my inner coil tighten and I knew we would be climaxing soon. I pulled away from the kiss as my back began to arch. Dimitri pressed his ear against my neck as we came together.

After a quick cleanup we dried off. Dimitri put his boxers on and gave me a moment to get myself sorted with the tampon and panty liner. I left the bathroom with only a pair of panties on. Dimitri beckoned me to bed to cuddle in bed for nap. Dimitri had other plans though.

He started kissing me again, trailing kisses down my neck till he arrived at my breasts. He took one into his mouth causing me to gasp. He suckled until he drank what little milk I had before letting his fangs sink into my skin finding the Levendzki's Gland. Once done with one breast he moved on to the other. When he was all done he kissed me sweetly before resting his head on my chest and tracing patterns on my stomach before drifting off to sleep.

**~~*O*~~ Dessert is over but be aware of the bit of sprinkles left on the dish~~*O*~~**

Yesterday we didn't get to do this till we finally got to the room and it has been more than twelve hours since. My milk supply is slowly declining and we can't let it completely dry up for fear that the anti-endorphin hormone that keeps me from getting high from his bite. We also have to keep the Levendzki's glands stimulated by injecting them with endorphins.

I have to say that I like this situation a lot. It is another way that I can share intimacy with Dimitri. I think of the same way I think of feeding him blood. It is something only I can give him. And in a way it is a reversal of roles. When physically making love his essence is left with me in the form or his ejaculate and when I give him milk or blood I am giving him some of my essence. I've talked with Olena about this a few times and she completely understands because of when she was in love with Nathan Ivashkov she felt the same way about feeding him blood during sex.

I used to think that giving blood while having sex was extremely kinky and dirty but now I understand the difference between making love with a feeding and being a bloodwhore who is indiscriminant with whom she has sex and shares her blood with.

I fell asleep feeling loved and wanted.

**~~*~o~*O*~o~*~~**

**Dimitri POV  
**The dream walk, with Olena; on the previous day.

I brought momma to our old house in Baia. She appeared at the kitchen table while I stood at the counter making some tea for us. She smiled at me but waited for me to sit.

"Yeva told me to expect you soon. She told me to tell you that she is upset with you for taking so long to seek advice. I told her that you would come to me in your own time. So my son, what is wrong?"

I felt my face go red and I looked away in shame. She took gentle hold of my chin and made me look at her.

"Oh momma I have done something horrible to my Roza. I just don't know how to feel about it or what to do?"

"What have you done that is so horrible that you won't even say it?" I looked down after she asked this.

"I bit her in the throes of passion. Momma I have treated her like a bloodwhore." Tears fell freely from my face. She tried to get me to look her in the eye again but I refused.

"Dimitri, do you think badly of me? Do you think I am a bloodwhore?" Momma asked me quietly; my head shot up.

"I would never think of you that way. I don't understand why you would let my father do that to you but I know you were very young when you became involved with him and I remember how much he frightened and manipulated you."

"Dimitri I loved him. You don't remember that he was not always the monster you remember. When I met him he was a lot kinder. He was a lot more like you and Adrian but there was also a hint of the monster. He was raised by Tatiana's niece Rebekka and her husband Grigori. Grigori was horrible and he treated Nathan wickedly but he kept that hidden from Rebekka and Tatiana till after Grigori died. When you were only 8 Rebekka died and Nathan changed. He began to do drugs and drink heavily. It was as if Rebekka's love was the only thing that made him kind. After her death he forgot how to love. I see who he is now after losing Adrian and he is the man I used to love; the man who loved me. But too much has happened and though I know he would like another chance with me I can never trust him with my heart again."

"If he loved you, why did he bite you?"

"It started with throes of passion. At first he felt bad about it but we talked about it and came to the conclusion that it was ok for us. We shared so much more than the blood at those times. I did like the high a little but I never got addicted."

"But what about after he turned into the horrible man I remember, why did you let him keep biting you then. Why did you even let him in the house?"

"At first it was because I still loved him then it was because I was afraid of him and because of the fact that he was our sole support. I had four children to care for and no job."

"Momma, how did you manage after I beat him up and kicked him out?"

"I went to the one person I knew could help me; I went to see Abe Mazur. He helped convince Nathan not to press charges on you. He backed up your threat to kill him if he ever darkened my doorstep again. And he gave me the job at the hospital working nights as a housekeeper. I think he must have personally paid my salary because I only worked 15 hours a week and I got paid four times what I should have. "

"I never knew you even had a job?" I thought back to my childhood and I could never remember mom working other than before I beat up dad, she would do odd jobs or house cleaning when she needed money. "Why did Abe do that? How did you know you could trust him?"

"Your Grandmother is the one who told me to ask for his help. Years ago she when she used to tell fortunes, he was one of her best clients. Though I seriously suspect they shared a healthy respect for a shot of vodka and an even bigger dose of gossip."

I had to laugh at the image of my grandmother and a much younger Zmey siting in her parlor drinking and gossiping; somehow though, I could see it in their personalities. Now I understand why Yeva always defended him when I would mention my mistrust of him. I wonder if she knew our families would be tied one day. With this my mind wondered back to my Roza.

"Momma do you think it is wrong for me to desire it. During the moments when we are intimate is when I desire her blood the most; even when my needs have been well satisfied. What would others think of her?"

"I think for Moroi it is normal and natural to desire blood with sex. But I am not the best person to ask this from. In fact the person you should ask is your brother. He was a Moroi and we all know they had a lot of sex. As for what other people think; it is not there business."

"I can't talk to Adrian about my intimate life with Rose!"

"Why not, wouldn't he know more about her intimate life than anyone else?"

"That is what Emma said. But I can't rub it in that I can share intimacy with her when he can't"

"Dimitri, he has had his time with her, this is your time now. Don't you remember when he summoned everyone to a dream walk together; it was to acknowledge your marriage of the heart. He thanked you for sharing someone so precious and wonderful with him. He put Roza's hand in yours and he gave her back to you? He did that with his whole heart. He begrudges you nothing. Trust me you can go to him. In fact he is probably upset that you haven't already done so."

"I guess your right Momma, thank you. I have to wake up now. I love you."

I embraced my mother and let her mind go back. I woke up in the arms of my love.

During dinner I was quiet as the thought through my conversation with Momma. I realize that she and Emma are right. I need to talk to Adrian. I need his perspective. I will talk with him later when I can dream walk with him.

Things didn't go great with Jill. I never knew about their history when they were in school. They were four years apart and didn't interact while I was still there. Rose must have introduced them after my turning. I think Rose handled things beautifully. I love that she can use her abilities to help others heal.

After making sure Lissa Christian and our fellow guardians got safely on their way home, Roza and I started the five hour drive to Yuma. I can't wait to see Lalo and ask him about the paintings on the cards. Roza and I were quiet for a while, it was nice.

Just as I was beginning to feel tired she reached over to fiddle with the radio. She found a station that was playing and older love song. I know it is cheesy but I love old love songs. Heck I love old songs. I stared to sing along and when Roza knew the words she would sing too.

Some songs mean more to me than others because the remind me of our relationship. With these songs I put my feelings into the words. I know Rose knew the difference because she would stop singing and just listen while holding my hand.

A little while later the song 'Everything I do' by Bryan Adams come on. This time she sang to me. I was so overcome by emotion that I had to pull over. With this song she told me that she knew I was struggling with something and that no matter what she would fight for our relationship. That she loved me no matter what. We kissed for a few moments I wish we could stay in this moment forever but we had to be on our way so reluctantly I pulled back on the road.

I was half starved by the time we pulled into the Hotel. It was already almost 3:00am and I knew the hotel's restaurant would be closed but thank God in heaven there was a Denny's on the other side of the parking lot. First task was to rent the room and the second was to get some food.

We walked in hand in hand but that didn't stop the guy behind the counter from looking at MY ROZA as if he wished he could be the one staying the night here with her. I wrapped my arm around her possessively and shot him a glare that told him I knew what he was thinking and he could stop thinking it or I will stop him from thinking at all. I know this amused Rose she whispered affirmations to me and calmed me a bit.

I know my Roza must be as hungry if not more so than I am, she barely ate anything at dinner. When I asked her to get a table across the way her stomach rumbled loudly, even a human would have heard it. I smiled because it affirmed that I know her so well. She offered to order for me and I was glad she did. I don't care what I eat as long as I get some food in me.

We enjoyed our breakfast but once we got back to our room we enjoyed each other. It felt so good to kiss her and have her in my arms. We made love through a feeding before going back to kissing and caressing. Sometimes I miss how easy things were before physical intimacy came into the picture. Don't get me wrong I love being able to make love physically to my wife, I just miss the simplicity of it.

As we she fell asleep in my arms I healed her bite and relaxed into sleep myself. With anyone else I actually have to pull them into a spirit dream but with Adrian I just have to ask him to come to my dreams. I have to admit I really miss him. He has been busy helping Lissa with something relating to court. I think she is having him dream stalk council members so he can talk them into seeing things her way. Ha, ha. I wander how many council members have started to see a shrink? I also think that he wanted to give us some privacy on our honeymoon.

I found myself sitting at the poker table in the basement of our home. Adrian was shuffling cards, with a perturbed expression on his face.

"Took you long enough to come talk to me. You know as my brother and my bondmate you could come to me with anything; even this."

"You know what I need to talk to you about?"

"I am a spirit guide. Even if I am not here watching every move the two of you make I am kept informed of anything important."

"Oh, I thought that coming to you would… I don't know…hurt your feelings?"

"What hurts my feelings brother is that you didn't feel you could come to me. I am also upset that the first person you should have spoken to about this is still left in the dark."

"I know I am such a coward. I just don't know how to face her. What is she going to think of me? I don't want her to think I am still that monster I was. So much of me didn't go back to normal when I was freed of the demon. I never told anyone this but I wanted to have sex with her when I was Strigoi. I was holding off because I was waiting for her to agree to be turned. I planned on feeding from while taking her. I was going to drain her and turn her all while using her body for my pleasure."

"Dimitri that wasn't you; it felt like you because the demon used your memories and your feelings for Rose at the time you were turned. It knew how much you desired her and it used those thoughts of desire and love and morphed them into a plan that would hurt both your soul and hers." Adrian put his hand on my arm.

"I have bitten her twice and I have to admit that it is the most beautiful, intimate thing I have ever experienced but after I can't stop thinking of how just used the most wonderful loving woman, in the most base manner. I remember how I had planned on turning her with a bloodwhore bite. And I cannot begin to tell you the shame I feel."

"Do you have any idea how she felt about it when and after you bit her?" Adrian asked me patiently. He never passed out the cards but seemed to use them as a way to keep his hands and eyes busy and make me feel a little more at ease. I sighed and thought about how a few days ago Rose was weepy and distant.

"The first time it happened she didn't seem to even notice. But the next day she seemed distant and depressed."

"Are you sure it was the bite that upset her? Is it possible that something else had bothered her?"

I got up the next morning to make breakfast for the kids and call a feeder for them. Rose got up about an hour later, as soon as she kissed me good morning she was on edge."

"Did she ask you to call the feeder service?"

"No but it had been a couple days. They needed blood so I took care of it?"

"I know I am going to get scolded for this but do you know how Rose feels about strange feeders feeding her children?"

"I would assume she would think it a normal part of life."

"Think again. She hates the idea. Didn't you notice the kids never went to the feeders when we traveled? Heck half the time she insisted I bring blood from Alice for myself."

"Oh My God, I feel like an idiot! That day I felt so bad about biting her I decided to try an alternative blood source. I couldn't even think of using a feeder but I asked them to bring a bag of donor blood for me. Rose paused for a moment when she kissed me that morning. She must have tasted the donor blood. We make love though blood and to her it must have felt like a betrayal."

"Yeah, something like that." Adrian nodded.

"Dimitri, you said you've bit her twice, how did she react the second time."

I sat there recalling the memory. How she offered me her neck so I could kiss and nibble. How she knotted her hand in my hair holding me in place."

"I don't think she minded. In fact I think she wanted it; but why would she want that, why would she want me to do that to her?"

"That brother is something you will have to talk to her about."

"Adrian, is this why she isn't pregnant yet? Does this have to do with our bond?" Adrian gave me a sad smile.

"Yes, your bond is still fractured. You are both still genetically compatible but because the bond is so important to her, as the Wielder, she won't get pregnant till the bond is repaired. But don't just start to bite her thinking that is the cure. You need to come to terms with this as a part of who you are. When you are ready to accept this as part of who you are then you need to talk to her about it. She knows you are working through something and she will be patient but don't wait too long."

"Do you think she will forgive me for trying the donor blood?"

"I know she is really hurt and confused but she has already forgiven you."

"Thank you for talking with me about this. I should have come to you a long time ago."

"Ya think?" He slapped the back of my head hard. "Go back to bed brother. I will dream walk with you both soon."

I woke up with Roza snuggled up against me. I love her so much and now I don't feel so afraid that I might lose her. I know I it is going to take me a little while to work through this but I think in the end we will get through this together.

I called Lalo and arranged to meet him at his studio at seven. This will give us a few hours to spend time together before we have to share each other's attention with others.

* * *

Songs for the Chapter were:

Nothings Gonna Change My Love for You  
by: George Benson

Everything I do, I do it for You  
By: Bryan Adams.

**POP QUIZ**

Sorry I can't think of any questions but please, please, review so I know what you thought.

Suzanna


	63. The Artist and HisVisions

April 28, 2011

Hey guys here is another chapter, next chapter will be about what Rose and Dimitri see. This story is eventually going to come to an end but not just yet.

I have to say thank you to my Beta Rangarose who is a wonder writer herself.

I do not own VA but that which I have created I gladly share with you.

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_**Chapter 62: The Artist and His Visions.**_

**Dimitri POV**

After spending the afternoon with Roza, swimming, talking and making love to her we headed to Lalo's Studio. I waited till we were in the car before I asked her to pull the postcards out of my duster pocket.

"Hey Roza, could you reach in the back seat and get the bag from my duster pocket; there is something in there that I want you to see."

She reached over and pulled the bag out; I waited for her to re-buckle before putting the car in drive. She pulled the cards out and looked through them slowly; studying each one before moving to the next. From my peripheral vision I watched her while keeping my eyes on the road.

"It's me." She said in a whisper. "But how; how do they know?" Her face full of questions, she turned to me.

"I don't know how he knows but he has known for a long time and he tried to tell me once but I never got it."

"You know the person who painted these?" I smiled in reply.

"He is the guy we are here to visit, his name is Edward Rayes but he goes by Lalo. I met him six years ago when Ivan and I went traveling before he was supposed to start his residency."

I got a little quiet thinking about that last summer with Ivan. Rose reached out and put her hand on my thigh. I know she would have held my hand but we were driving in the city and not on the highway and I needed my hand to change gears. We drove the rest of the way in silence. I know she understands how I feel because she still gets sad when she thinks about Mason Ashford.

Lalo's studio was on the outskirts of town next to his home. We drove up the drive that led to the buildings on top of the hill. Near the first building there were several sculptures made of Iron and other metals. I myself was amazed by his talent and I could see that Rose felt the same. He walked out to meet us before we even finished parking.

"Dimitri, my man it is good to see you again." He wrapped me in a tight hug before turning his attention to Rose. "I see you have found your moon goddess. She is even more beautiful than in my visions."

"Roza this is my friend Lalo, Lalo this is my wife, Rose." I watched as he shook her hand and gave her a gallant bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last. I am honored that you will be staying with us."

Rose gave me a perplexed look but with my eyes I told her we would explain things to her soon. Lalo led us down the driveway to his home. It was definitely nicer then the small place they lived in six years ago. When Ivan and I had met Lalo and his wife they were newly married and just starting out. The closer we got to the house I could hear the sound of children's, giggles and laughter. Lalo brought us to the side door that led to the kitchen. His wife Sara was tending to something on the stove. He went straight to her and kissed her cheek.

"Sara, you remember Dimitri and this is his wife Rose." Sara instantly pulled Rose into a hug. I know the hug was not expected but Rose hugged her back as if they were old friends. Lalo and Sara are some of the most warmhearted people I have met. They remind me of my own family.

We talked with Sara and Lalo in the kitchen as Sara dished food into the serving platters and called the children in for Dinner. During dinner Lalo told Rose how we met. I know I told her the story once but I never gave her all the details.

"In just four days it will be six years exactly that we met Dimitri and Ivan. It was about 2 am and Sara and I were on our way to the hospital because she was in labor. Some drunk hit my car on the side and pushed me just enough to make me run off the road and into a ditch. The other car kept on going but Sara and I were stuck. I was hurt bad and I couldn't get out of the car. I ended up passing out and when I came to, this really white guy was taking care of me while I heard my Sara giving birth to David, in the back seat. I could hear a man's voice guiding her. I passed out again only to wake up in the hospital. Turns out the men who saved us wouldn't leave until they were sure we would be alright."

"Ivan and I were only a mile or so away when we saw the accident. We were medical students so we stopped to give aid. Lalo had a concussion, a few broken ribs and a broken leg not to mention a really nasty cut on his head. By the time the ambulance got there Ivan had his head stitched and the leg set with a Sunday paper and some rope he found in their trunk. God he would have been one hell of a Doctor." Rose touched my cheek tenderly.

"And you delivered the baby, you would have been one hell of a doctor too Comrade."

"You didn't become a Doctor? Dimitri in my visions you are a healer." Lalo said.

"You have visions? What else have you seen in your visions?" Roza asked.

"If you are asking if I know about your world yes I do; though we don't discuss it around the children so pardon me if I dance around the subject."

"We have kids too; I understand that there are some subjects that are best left alone until little ears are asleep." She assured him with a smile.

"So Rose how did you meet Dimitri?"

Roza was happy to share our story with Sara and Lalo. She told them about running away with Lissa and how I had been the one who found them. She told them that I had been the one to save her from expulsion and had helped her first catch up then surpass her classmates. After David and his little sister Catalina were sent to bed I told them about getting captured and turned. I told them how it was Rose and Adrian who saved me. We talked till around midnight when Rose suggested that we let our hosts get some sleep. Sara showed Rose to our room while Lalo and I went to get our things from the car.

Roza and I held each other and kissed and talked for a few more hours before finally falling asleep content in each other's arms. That night Adrian pulled us into a Dream-walk with our children. I know that we just saw them a couple days ago but being away from them was the only thing that Roza and I didn't like about our Honeymoon. Emma told us that she had made sure to put the kids to bed extra early so that we could be together. Rose, Adrian and I spent hours playing games of tag and hide and seek with the kids. At some point when we were having a bon fire Emma asked if she could speak to me. She told me she could tell that I have been working on my personal issues and that whatever change I made it was in the right direction. Theresa also seemed to be happier and more at ease then she had been last week.

It is so amazing how fast that they have grown. Theresa is just three and a half years old but she already looks and acts like a seven year old; Xander, who is just ten months behind her, would pass for a five year old easily and our youngest two who are going to be celebrating their second birthday in a few weeks would be guessed for four years. A month seems so long as it is but when you take into account how fast our children grow, well it really seems like it is much longer. If it were not for our Dream-walks I don't think Rose and I would have lasted for those first two weeks before we got to spend a few days with them. After a full night spent playing with our children we woke happy in each other's arms.

It was 9:00 am Human time when we finally woke up. The sound of the children playing in the yard brought a smile to our faces. Rose snuggled against me but pulled her head away resting it on her hand so she could look at me.

"Lalo, is he like Yeva and Rhonda? He said that he had visions of you being a healer and even though you are not a licensed Doctor you are a healer in a very real sense. Those pictures he painted, I know it is called the Moon Goddess but I can't shake the feeling that the pictures are supposed to be me. How would he know so much about me? He has the picture of the Goddess and her two spirits. I have you and Adrian; my spirit wielding husbands. In the same place as my moonstone necklace he has the moon as the Goddess's pendant. The silver she wears looks like the stuff you and Adrian have designed for me. Heck she even looks a bit like me only she has an Indian maiden costume on."

"He is similar to them but also unique in his own way. Yeva has dreams; she doesn't even know what they are foretelling her sometimes. She told me when I was ten that I would find a single flower and I would tend to it. The flower would grow strong and from it would bloom many blossoms. I thought she was going nuts at the time. When I told her about being assigned to find two runaways she warned me to watch out for the flower's thorns. She also gets gut feelings and such but for her it is mostly dreams.

With Rhonda she will get a hunch that people need to have a reading and it is partly through the cards that she gets her messages but she also gets things through contact. Remember when Adrian showed us his second reading with her. She never even took out the cards; she simply held his hands.

Lalo, he says he does it the old fashioned way, he goes into the desert and makes a lean-to; he will make a fire and burn incense around the area to purify it. He'll sit by the fire and recite a prayer his father taught him, and then he then drinks this tea that has been passed down through his family for centuries. I don't know what is in the stuff but, oh it is awful. After that he slips into a kind of trance. He gets his visions while in the trance."

"Have you seen him do it?"

"Yes, after helping him we stayed in the area because Ivan and I wanted to make sure he and his family was ok. Sara had asked us not to leave before they could thank us properly. We ended up staying with them for a week."

"How did you hide the fact that Ivan was a vampire?"

"That's the thing. When we came to dinner the day they came home we had steak and they served Ivan his very rare. When we were going to leave because it was already 9 pm Lalo said 'Hey I thought vamps stayed up all night?' We were dumbfounded to say the least; we stood there not knowing what to do. Lalo laughed but there was no malice in it, which put us a little at ease though not much. He quickly explained that there were Living Vampires in every culture including his, though many of them died out. Then he told us that he had vision that they would be visited by two healers that came from the world of the night people. Well both of us had spent enough time with Yeva to know he was probably a Providest."

"Providest, that means seer in Russian right?"

"Yes, I think it is derived from the meaning of providence as in having foresight. Anyway we ended up talking all night and sleeping over during the day. The next evening he asked if we would like to go with him on his vision journey. We each drank the tea and though neither Ivan nor I had as complete a vision as Lalo did we both had visions."

"What was yours about?" Rose snuggled closer to me.

"You, only I didn't know it at the time. I had images of the night you became mine. I didn't see your face as a whole but I did see your lips just as I was about to kiss them and I saw the way your hair cascaded down your bear shoulder as I undressed you. Somewhere in my mind I knew it was my wife that I was making love to. At first I just thought it was my imagination, till that night in the cabin when I looked at your lips and I saw your hair. I knew I was making love to my wife. I only wish I had been able to tell you what you meant to me before I was turned. I wanted to wait till after the whole Strigoi crisis was over. I went to Alberta and explained that I needed to transfer my guardianship after graduation and why. I didn't explain the marriage of the heart because I wanted to tell you before anyone else. I asked her if we could leave campus for a weekend for your 18th birthday. You don't know how much I wish I could have celebrated it with you."

"I never did celebrate it. Instead I woke early and withdrew from school to go free my husband's soul."

"I am so sorry Roza." I pulled her close to me.

"You had no more fault in what happened than I do. It was our fate." She held me tightly for some time.

The smell of breakfast foods wafted up to us; I sat up pulling my Roza up with me. We dressed quickly and headed downstairs. The wall clock in the kitchen read 10:30.

"Good morning, Tio Dimitri, and Tia Rosa." David and Catalina chimed in together. I chuckled at Roza's confused expression.

"Tio and Tia are Spanish for Uncle and Aunt. Sara is half Mexican American and around here Spanish is almost as prominent as English, even among the Native American Indians. Lalo's nickname is a Spanish derivative of Edgardo."

"Oh, thank you for clearing it up." She pecked me on the lips and stole a strip of bacon from my plate before greeting everyone.

After our brunch Lalo showed us his studio. Roza was awestruck at his portraits of the Moon Goddess. The one that took her breath away also rendered me speechless. The Indian maiden was standing in a fighting stance; in front of her was a shadow image of a man. Her wolf pack was all battling with shadow men. That in and of itself would have amazed me; but it was what was happening between the Maiden and her opponent was enough to render me speechless. Her hand was against his chest and there was a silver glow surrounding the two of them. The hand that was pressed to his chest glowed and radiating from her hand the shadow faded revealing the man's features as if only that part was bathed in light.

"Did I get it right? Is this the way you transform the shadow men?" Rose simply nodded with a stupefied look on her face. "This painting was never intended to be for sale or public view. It is a gift to you; I have waited many months to give it to you."

"Thank You." Roza breathed, barely louder than a whisper. "Lalo, could you take me on one or your Vision quest things?"

"I would love to but I must be certain first that you are not pregnant; the tea might be bad for the baby."

"We are not pregnant yet." She gave him slightly sad smile.

"I will tell Sara to start preparing the tea and I will mix the herbs for my incense."

**Rose POV**

I sat with Sara in the kitchen while she took both dried and fresh plants and added them to a hand woven pouch. She explained what some of the herbs were and what medicinal properties they held. She tied the drawstring and set it to boil in an old ceramic pot. Then she went about making another one similar to the first but minus a few herbs.

"The second tea is for you. I know from your eyes that you have a stronger connection to, well the super natural. You do not need a tea as strong as the men do and since you have been trying to conceive; less will be better."

"We have been trying but I know I am not yet pregnant, in fact I'm on my cycle."

"I am just taking precaution. Nothing in either of the Teas is poisonous or illegal to have, grow or use. But some of the herbs have been known to cause miscarriage when taken in larger doses and it is suspected that some may hinder conception. The worrisome herbs I have either left out of your tea or significantly reduced the amount. I also want you to drink as much water as you possibly can so that it will run through your system quickly."

"Have you ever done this yourself?"

"Yes I have but I stopped a few years ago because I want another child. David was conceived just a month after our honeymoon and my Gatita, a year and half later. She is four and a half and we have been trying for the last three."

"Gatita?"

"Oh I am sorry, it is Catalina's nick name. Gata is Spanish for a female cat and gatita is a little cat or a kitten."

"That's kinda cool. I want to learn a lot of languages so that it will be easier to help the Strigoi I transform."

I thought about their fertility problem. I wonder if there is anything I could do to help.

"Sara, I have some ability to heal too. Can I try and see if it will help you conceive?"

She shrugged her shoulders in a good natured way and stood in front of me. I am amazed at her openness. I placed my hand low on her belly and thought of all the love and joy my children have brought me. I pulled from her emotions, the love she has for her children and for Lalo. Focusing on her reproductive organs I sent healing love into her. When I looked back up to her face she was smiling and she had tears in her eyes.

Once the teas were done she put them into thermoses and then we went about packing food for our little trip. Apparently this was going to be a bit of a camp out. We went up to pack some clothing for Dimitri and me into two back packs that Sara lent me. Sara called one of her sisters to come stay with the kids for a few days. Once all was done and packed and Sara's sister, Sophia, got there it was 4 PM. Dimitri and I drove in Sara's Jeep Wrangler Mohave, and Sara and Lalo took his Jeep Rubicon. We stopped at the store for some marshmallows, Hershey Chocolate bars, Graham crackers and gallon Jugs of water. While Sara and I bought that, Dimitri and Lalo filled the Ice chests.

Once off the paved road I could see why Lalo and Sara had such rugged SUV's. The trails that passed as roads were bumpy and rocky. There was rut lines and water erosion to avoid. I loved it. The bumpy jarring ride had both me and Dimitri laughing as if we were on an amusement park ride. Lalo showed us some dry lake beds where we took turns driving around making clouds of dust.

Finally about three hours later we arrived at a lush green place where there were trees and bushes everywhere. This was where we would camp; in a campground on the Colorado River. Dimitri and I took a clearing a few yards away from Lalo and Sara. I had always thought that the desert was a dead, dry waist land but I saw so many little birds and lizards.

Sara and I set out dinner while the men prepared a nice fire in a pit. I had fun talking with her as we worked. I could imagine her getting along with our family. I wonder how frowned on it might be if we invited them over to our home for a few days. I know the Alchemists would have a conniption fit but would the Moroi or Guardian counsels give us a hard time?

We cooked kabobs of vegetables and marinated chicken breast chunks over the fire. Earlier Sara taught me how to make beans and Spanish rice which we now heated up in cast Iron skillets. I had only gone camping once with Lissa and the people we were renting a room from when we were in Portland. This time I have to say the food was much better. The last time we ate hot dogs and baked beans that were heated in the can on the fire; they ended up half burnt.

After dinner we sat in front of the fire making S'mores and talking about Ivan, Adrian, Mason and Sonya. They asked us if we had seen any ghosts in their home. I had to explain to them that I have my walls up at all times so that I don't get bombarded by ghosts but that I promise to check when we went back. Apparently Sara's eldest sister passed away when Sara was very young but she feels that her sister follows her and watches over her and her children.

By midnight the moon was almost to the midpoint in the sky. Lalo brought out the incense and lit it before blowing out the flame and letting the herbs smolder and smoke. He walked around the area spreading the smoke and murmuring prayers in his native Quechan. Sara brought out the tea and served it into earthen wear cups. She was very careful to give me the tea she had made especially for me. Dimitri was right the stuff was wretched and even Lalo had a look of distaste as he drank it down. We closed our eyes and began to meditate while Sara beat softly on a drum.

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**Pop Quiz**

1. What do you think is the Reason that Lalo has painted for public display so many pictures of this Moon Goddess and her wolf pack. Yet the painting of the Transformation is intended for Rose and Dimitri alone.

2. What do you think that Ivan had seen in his vision six years ago?

3. Do you think that Dimitri and Rose will have visions?

4. What are your thoughts an comments.

Please pass you quizzes to the front by pressing the Review button.

SnowGoose


	64. Their Visions

July 24, 2011

Hello my loyal readers. Well I have been working on my writing a bit more lately and not only do I have this chapter posted but I have posted chapters for What Happened to Rose and for The Love Wielder's Journey. I am currently working on a chapter for The Truth gets in the way and for She Called Him Comrade.

I realize that it has been a long time between posts and I really and truly am sorry. After the computer debacle I lost my umph for writing and it has been really hard to bet it back. I still love my stories and I have no intention of giving it up and I really hope you will bear with me as I fight through my writing funk.

It has come to my attention that some people might be confused about the stories. Each of my stories is related in many ways. Yet they are all different too. All five of them are alternate timelines on the same journey. It would take a lot longer than the space I want to use here to explain it but on my profile I have a bit of a brief explanation of each story. If you want to ask me more questions please feel free to PM me.

Thank you RangaRose for being my Beta.

Suzanna

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**Chapter 63: Visions **

**Dimitri POV**

I held my breath as I drank down my tea, this stuff was even worse then I remembered it. It was bitter; sour at first then a sickening sweet aftertaste. I glanced at Roza who looked a bit green about the gills. Lalo was used to drinking this stuff but even he looked disgusted. After swallowing the last drop I set my cup down and closed my eyes. For a moment my head felt like it was spinning but it soon settled.

The rhythmic beating of Sara's drum seemed to become one with my heartbeat. I let myself sink into the beat. Many colors filled my mind's eye; swirling in a kaleidoscope of colors. The colors stopped and settled. I found myself sitting on a rock on the beach at Corona Del Mar. It was sunset and the tide was going out. I heard footsteps approaching through the rocky beach and the water. He spoke before I could even turn around.

"Hey Dimka its sure good to see you my man." Recognition hit me and I launched myself off of my perch and ran over to capture him in a hug. Ivan only laughed at me and hugged me back. I know we must have looked gay but I didn't care, this is my best friend here.

"Ivan, oh my God how I have missed you!"

"You can always dream walk with me." He patted my back.

"Guess I never thought about it. Spirit is still new for me."

"And yet you have already done great things with it. I knew you would."

"I would give that up if I could just change things. I wish I had never taken that vacation. You would still be alive and probably married to Katya Rikovich by now."

"Do you even know what you are saying, first of all Katya was the girl you date, not the girl you marry. Besides I don't regret anything. I knew what I was doing when I forced you to take that vacation and I have watched you ever since. Dimka I would die all over again to give you the life you have." He smiled serenely at me as he shook his head slowly from side to side.

"What! You knew you would die and yet you sent me away. It was my job to protect you. As my best friend it was my right to give my life to protect you." Fury overtook me. How could he choose to die and not let me fight for him?

"And just as it was your right, it was mine as well." His face was still tranquil and his voice calm but matter of fact.

"But I was your Guardian."

"We were friends long before you were my Guardian. Dimitri I could never have asked for a better friend."

"Why? How did you know?"

"Walk with me and I will explain to you." I nodded my head and followed him as he headed down the beach. "Remember when we had our vision quest with Lalo, I had two visions and I was told to make the choice between them.

The first one you were there to save me from the Strigoi and I lived but you my friend gave your life for me along with the other guardians present at the time. Your presence would not have saved any of them. I saw that, though I lived and I was a successful doctor, I never found fulfillment or true happiness in my life. I married a woman because it was time to settle down but it was a loveless marriage and I was not faithful to her, nor her, to me.

The other vision was one where I had sent you away and though I died and you mourned me; in time you found love, fulfillment and true happiness. I saw the dark exotic beauty that you would find. I even saw the marriage bond that allowed you to do the impossible. I have since seen many possible outcomes and in the end you are always with your dark princess; always happy. I also have seen what would have become of her if you hadn't found her when you did. Dimitri if you hadn't found her she would have died protecting her friend. Our world would be in jeopardy of annihilation by Strigoi.

Do you see why I chose to sacrifice my life for yours? I would have had an existence; but you have a rich full beautiful life. Your wife is doing what she was put on this earth to do; save it, and teach her daughters to, as well." He stopped and looked into the horizon.

"I am ashamed to say I didn't even think that if you lived I would never have met my Roza. Now that I have Roza and our children I honestly can say I cannot imagine my life without them. It was her that I saw in my vision that night. Little bits and pieces of the night she became my wife. Somehow I knew that I loved her and I didn't even know who she was.

Thank you, Ivan, for giving me the gift of life; love and happiness. I just wish it didn't come at the price of your life. I miss you more than you could know."

"All you have to do is dream walk with me. Though I get to watch the two of you interact I confess I would love to hear about your Imzadi, from you."

"Imzadi, I have not heard that word in ages. I think the last time was when you and I last watched Star Trek TNG. I have to admit it; the term fits no matter how you look at it. Roza is my beloved and she was my first; the first woman to touch my heart; mind body and soul."

"Promise to dream walk with me and we will talk, your vision is ending but I am always with you." The beach faded way taking Ivan with it. I opened my eyes and looked to my Roza who was still in her trance. A few yards behind her I saw Ivan looking at us with pride and love. I waved to him and him to me then I returned my gaze to my beautiful wife, MY IMZADI.

**~~*~o~*~~**

**Rose POV**

Sara handed me the mug last then she picked up a hand drum, it was octagonal in shape and had a painting of the night sky and stars on it. It was shallow but the sound was rich and soothing. I listened to it as I forced down my tea. Ugh no amount of forewarning could prepare me for its taste. I refocused on the sound of the drum for a moment I felt disoriented but it was the beat of the drum that guided me.

I found myself sitting on the dock of our private pond back at the House on Cherry Hill. There was a presence beside me that felt so familiar yet it was something I hadn't felt in a long time. I looked to my right and the first thing that caught my eye was the head of red hair and a freckled face smiling at me. He looked exactly the way he did the day he died only he looked healthy.

"Mason!" I flung myself into his arms and nearly offset my balance so much that we both ended up tumbling into the water. We both sputtered when our heads bobbed out of the water but he took hold of me with a mischievous glint in his eye and dunked me in the water before swimming away. When I came back up coughing and laughing I could hear his rich laughter ringing in my ears; God, how I missed the sound of his laughter.

We played tag for a while before reluctantly we both went to go back and sit on the dock. I took a few moments to just stare in his eyes before speaking.

"Mase, I am so sorry, it was wrong of me to lead you on like I did. I wish I could have felt for you the way you did for me."

"Don't worry about it sexy, I get it. I see how much you love him and he loves you too. I am just glad that my sacrifice helped you get to this place in your life."

"Oh Mase" I held him in my arms holding back tears.

"Rose honey, there is a reason I am here. It has come to my attention that there is a guardian who is looking for his long lost love in the afterlife. I want you to help them find each other."

"How?"

"She is your guide and she has paid her penance. First you will call her and explain to her that you are going to release her then you will call him and explain to them that their love has been acknowledged and that God has chosen to unite them. When they are reunited she will be allowed to take her place in the afterlife.. "

"Will Adrian be my guide then?"

"If you want, but if you will have me I would like to volunteer. This way I get to have a front row seat to watch over you and the rest of the gang."

"But Mason, don't you want to stay in heaven?"

"I will still get to enjoy heaven but I will also get to be here with Eddie and you. I will get to see your kids grow up."

"Then I accept. You know I can't tell you how happy I am for Sonya. I know she has missed Mikhail."

I called Sonya to me. When she appeared she looked around confused. She looked at her own arms and touched her hands. It occurred to me that here in this vision she was in corporal form and not translucent as is normal for ghosts.

"You are with me in a vision dream; I guess it is kind of like a dream walk." I explained to her.

"Oh; I haven't been in a dream walk since before I turned." She turned her attention to Mason. "Mr. Ashford, I remember you, it's good to see you again."

"Sonya, there is a specific reason I called you here. Your penance has been served and you are free to take your rest but first there is someone who has been looking for you."

Her eyes lit up and tears began to fall. I could feel hope and love radiate off of her.

"Mikhail?" She breathed. Mason and I nodded. Mikhail appeared next to Mason and immediately looked around. Sonya gasped and his face turned to her. She stood still with her hands over her mouth but her eyes could not hide her joy. Mikhail on the other hand ran to her and took her in his arms immediately. She wrapped her arms around his neck. As he pressed his lips to hers; he spun her around.

Tears ran untended down my face but I could care less. My heart swelled with joy for them. Many times over the years I have thought of their story and how in many ways it was similar to Dimitri and me. Many times I had thought, "There but through the grace of God go I." When Sonya turned albeit by choice, Mikhail had gone after her to find her and kill her thus saving her from the life of a Strigoi. It was his act of love and devotion to his love that inspired the promise that Dimitri and I made to do the same. When we made that promise I never thought I would have to follow through on it. I am just so grateful that my story turned out different.

In a sick sort of way I was relieved when I got Dimitri's twisted love note telling me that I failed to kill him. Later after I learned that I was carrying his baby, I also learned what had happened of Mikhail and Sonya. If fact I learned the story from Sonya herself.

Mikhail ended up finding her and like Dimitri had captured me she captured Mikhail. Because of spirit she was able to control her body a little bit more than Dimitri had and they were able to share a night together. They made love and held each other for hours. When she felt the demon fight back she begged him to stake her and… he did.

Though he couldn't see her spirit she stayed with him. He slipped into depression and six months after having staked her, he turned his stake on himself. For some reason she could not find his spirit. Her belief was that her punishment for turning Strigoi willingly was to be separated from him for all eternity. She prayed to God for a way to serve penance.

It was then that she found me and offered to be my helper. Since then she has been like a scout and a liaison between me and other ghosts.

Mason put his arm around me. When I looked at him, he gave me an understanding smile. We watched the joyful reunion play out. After a few more moments Sonya and Mikhail said their good byes and faded from sight.

Mason stayed with me for a while, I know that he will be around a lot now but I missed him so much that I didn't want to let him go. Eventually though he laughed at me and told me he would see me in the morning for my daily report.

The pond faded away and I expected I would wake up, but instead of waking I found myself seeing images. I was looking in a mirror, standing slightly sideways and Dimitri was standing behind me with his hands wrapped around me. From the looks of it we were examining the small bump on my belly with smiles on our faces.

That vision faded and I saw a groom standing in front of an Alter; waiting for his bride. I almost didn't recognize Ben dressed as he was. Eddie, Chris and another younger man stood by his side. Another image showed me Emma, dressed in my wedding dress; holding Dimitri's hand; a look of utter pride on his face.

This time when the vision faded my eyes opened and the first thing I saw was Dimitri looking at me with awe and love. We sat there across from each other sharing a moment of pure love. Sara's steady drum made me feel as if it had synchronized Dimitri's heartbeat with mine. Slowly the sound of the drum faded away and it felt as if a spell had been broken.

Lalo cleared his throat and offered a prayer of thanks to God for sharing knowledge and guidance to us through his visions. When he was done Sara produced several large tumblers of cool water for us to cleanse our pallets of the tea's retched aftertaste. We bid each other good night and we went our separate ways.

I have to admit I was glad that our tent was pitched away from Sara and Lalo's tent. The feeling of being in sync with Dimitri had made me feel like I really wanted to be close to him. The moment we were out of sight he swept me up and kissed me. Our kisses started out sweet but the heat of passion began to grow in me. I could tell he felt it too. I wanted him, no I needed him but there was still one problem.

"Comrade, sweetie we can't; I am still on my cycle."

"Roza, I don't care." He went back to kissing me on my sweet spot under my ear.

"Dimitri, we are borrowing the bedding. I don't want to ruin Sara and Lalo's sleeping bags.

"Your right that would be rude; but Roza I need you babe." He sighed. Then his eyes perked up and I could see the glint in them from the light of the full moon.

"What is going through your mind?" I asked him.

"There is a public shower a few yards down that way and since it is mid-summer and the heat is so unbearable there is almost no one here; most people only camp here in the fall or spring. Even if there is another group here it is after 1 am and they are most likely asleep."

"Mmmm shower sex, I like the idea."

**~~*~O~*~~ Chocolate Chip Cookie~~*~O~*~~**

We gathered our towels and ran like teenagers to the public shower. As soon as we reached the open corridor Dimitri started to try to strip off my clothing. Once our clothing was off we continued our make out session. Dimitri trailed his hand up and down my body. He slid his hand between my legs; teasing my button. Then I felt the pull; in one swift movement he pulled out the tampon and tossed it in the trash can.

He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me into one of the shower stalls and turned on the water. There was no water heater so the water was cold and refreshing. Thankfully it was not cold enough to cool my Russian love god. He pressed me up against the wall and that is where the fun began.

We tried to stay quiet because it was insane how much the little building echoed. We made love slowly and gently. Dimitri nibbled at my neck but didn't bite me. I wanted him too and even asked him too but he whispered in my ear that he would but not tonight. Funny thing is when I asked him he gave me a smile that was so happy yet serine. It was as if he was relieved that I asked.

**~~*~O~*~~ Cookie Crumbs~~*~O~*~~**

Dimitri picked our clothes up from the floor after we wrapped ourselves in the towels. As we ran back to our tent I could hear the content sighs of someone making love. I smiled wondering if maybe Sara and Lalo would be having their third child next spring. I hope my healing helped.

I hated to put on clothing because I wanted to feel Dimitri's skin on mine. However since we were not fully alone I decided not to push the nudity. Dimitri and I settled in under one of the sleeping bags and fell fast asleep.

We found ourselves in a dream walk with Adrian. He brought us to the fire pit back at the Academy's cabin. Dimitri shared with us about his vision of Ivan and how he had seen that if he sent Dimitri away that Dimitri would live on to be happy. I know that things worked out the way they were supposed to and I am grateful that by saving Dimitri he also saved me; but I cried over the fact that he intentionally gave up his life for his best friend. From now on I am going to consider Ivan to be one of my heroes.

I told Dimitri and Adrian about Sonya Carp and Mikhail Tanner. I told Dimitri that Mason was going to be my ghost guide. He looked a bit jealous for a split second but that was all. Adrian was not upset because he is happy in the roll he plays. He said that he has the job of being our Liaison to something called the Counsel of the Pure. So he didn't mind not being my liaison to other ghosts around the world.

I decided not to tell them about the images I saw. I will but not yet.

* * *

**POP QUIZ**

** do you think Ivan told Dimitri about the choice he had made?**

**2. This is the only story in which Mikhail is dead, what do you think of his and Sonya's story?**

**3. Why do you think Rose opted not to tell her husbands about the images she say in her vision?**

FYI I used to be into science fiction. If you can't tell I am what is called a trekie. Star Trek TOS the Original series, TNG the Next Generation and Voyager were my favorites of the 5 different series. In the Next Generation second in command had a past with the ships counselor. They used the term imzadi with each other and well I totally loved the dynamic between them. My version of Dimitri doesn't bring up his former Trekie faze too much but I figured Ivan would be able to use this term with Dimitri to show that he fully understands the relationship Dimitri has with Rose. Ok well I guess that shows you my age a bit. lol

Please Review and tell me what you think

Suzanna


	65. Just a note to you

Just a Note to my Readers.

I have just posted a chapter for She Called Him Comrade in it I added a link to my new facebook group.  
This group is dedicated to my stories of FF but also to you my readers. I borrowed the Idea from some of the authors is the Twi Fandom. The group give you a way to contact me without using the PM. You can ask me question about the stories plots, or twists, give me input and suggestions or just tell me to get my butt in gear.

Here is the link since the one in the chapter got thwarted by FFN Edit the spaces and as in a Dot **.** and a Com it should work. I am also adding the link to my FFN Profile.

w w w . facebook groups / 451506234880745 / permalink / 451674688197233 /

If you are in need of a beta I am free to help with a story or two.


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